JP2005152014A - Light irradiation device and constant pressure stimulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light irradiation device with a function for locally pushing and pressing the skin with a constant pressure for searching a trigger point of pain. <P>SOLUTION: The device has a light emitting element 108 for irradiating light, a protruding portion 104 coming into contact with the skin 2 of a living body for searching the trigger point to be irradiated with light, and a pressure measuring section 110 for measuring the pressure applied on the living body with the protruding portion 104, a driving section 112 moves the protruding portion 104 forward and rearward to control so that the measured pressure becomes equal to a set pressure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a light irradiation device having a function of locally pressing a skin with a constant pressure in order to search for a trigger point of pain, and a constant pressure stimulating device for stimulating the skin at a constant pressure.

  Traditionally, oriental medicine therapy such as acupuncture and hot acupuncture has been used to relieve pain such as back pain. In recent years, research has been conducted to scientifically elucidate the essence of pain such as back pain, not only in oriental medicine but also in western medicine, and has been applied as a pain clinic.

  In these studies, it is considered that a part called “trigger point” has an important meaning to alleviate pain. Here, the trigger point means a point having the strongest pain among tender points. It is known that the trigger point is likely to occur in the skin, ligament, muscle, fascia, and periosteum, and the trigger point generated in the fascia covering the surface of the muscle is particularly important. For example, in normal low back pain, that is, muscle and fascial back pain, painful induration appears mainly in the muscles of the lumbosacral region or fascia, and tenderness around the induration site is observed. That is, this consolidation site can be said to be a trigger point for the entire pain.

  Although the mechanism that causes the trigger point to harden is not completely elucidated, the knowledge obtained to date has shown that the cutaneous nerves and blood vessels that extend through the lumbar dorsal fascia are sleepless and unnatural. It is believed that induration is created by physical or chemical stimulation by actions such as posture, long working hours, and sports, resulting in circulatory disturbances at the fascia perforation.

  In this way, based on the recognition that induration occurs due to circulatory disturbance at the fascia penetrating part, phototherapy that irradiates the trigger point with light such as a low response level laser or linearly polarized infrared light in order to obtain a circulation improvement effect It is used.

  However, when using phototherapy, there is a problem that it is difficult to find a trigger point for pain. In general, searching for the trigger point is performed by palpation using the operator's fingers, but if the pressure during palpation is too strong, it will cause unnecessary pain to the patient, while if the pressure is too small, the trigger point will be searched. Will be overlooked. Moreover, since the practitioner's finger is used, there is a possibility that the discomfort caused by the fingernail biting into the patient's muscles may be mistaken for the tenderness of the trigger point.

In order to solve these problems, there has been proposed a light irradiation apparatus that searches for a trigger point and emits light without performing palpation using a finger (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
The technique described in Patent Document 1 irradiates laser light while searching for a trigger point. In this Patent Document 1, two methods of a voltage stimulation method and a pressure stimulation method are disclosed as methods for searching for a trigger point.

  Here, in the voltage stimulation method disclosed in Patent Document 1, electrical stimulation is applied using an electrode, and light is irradiated by regarding a portion having the strongest reaction as a trigger point. However, as described above, the trigger point is the point having the strongest pain among tenderness points and should be searched for by mechanical pressure stimulation. Therefore, in the voltage stimulation method of Patent Document 1, although it is possible to search for an exercise point that senses an electrical stimulus and generates muscle spasm, it is difficult to search for a trigger point that has the original meaning.

  In addition, the pressure stimulation method disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects that the irradiation port has been pressed against the human body at a predetermined pressure or higher with a spring and a limit switch or a pressure sensor, and notifies the operator by blinking display. Is. In this method, it is said that a pressure stimulus can be applied with a substantially constant pressure by adjusting the pressure at which the practitioner who sees the blinking display presses the device. However, this method, after all, requires the operator to adjust the pressure with which the device is pressed. Therefore, depending on the operation of the operator, the pressure cannot be prevented from being too strong or too weak. There is also a problem that it is complicated to perform the operation while watching the blinking display.

On the other hand, the technique described in Patent Document 2 is such that a convex LED is attached to the inner surface of a belt-like auxiliary tool made of an elastic material bent in a substantially U shape. In this technique, a human body can be sandwiched between belt-like auxiliary tools bent in a substantially U shape and pressure can be applied. When searching for a trigger point using this technique, the auxiliary tool is moved by, for example, pulling the auxiliary tool by hand while holding the human body between the auxiliary tools. As a result, the convex LED moves along the skin surface while being pressed against the skin with a predetermined pressure. And since LED becomes on a trigger point and pain becomes strong, a trigger point can be searched and light can be irradiated with respect to the searched trigger point. However, if pressure is applied by sandwiching the body in a bent band-shaped auxiliary tool, the pressure changes depending on the thickness of the body part to be sandwiched. Therefore, it is difficult to apply a certain pressure even by the technique described in Patent Document 2. In addition, it is complicated to move the auxiliary tool by pulling it by hand, which requires practice and skill.
JP-A-6-190071 JP 2001-137369 A

  As described above, in the conventional light irradiation device, the pressure that presses the living body changes depending on the operation of the practitioner and the thickness of the living body. Therefore, a constant pressure is applied to the living body to find the trigger point. It was difficult. Therefore, it may be difficult to search for a trigger point. Moreover, it can be said that such a problem occurs not only in the light irradiation apparatus but also in a pressure stimulation apparatus that applies local pressure stimulation to a living body.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to maintain a constant pressure on the human body in order to find the trigger point without depending on the operation of the operator or the thickness of the human body. And providing a light irradiating device capable of irradiating light to a searched trigger point.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a constant pressure stimulation device capable of performing constant pressure stimulation without depending on the operation of the operator or the thickness of the human body.

  The object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  (1) The light irradiation apparatus of the present invention is a light irradiation apparatus for irradiating light to a pain trigger point, and includes a light irradiation means for irradiating light, and a trigger point to be irradiated with light by the light irradiation means. In order to search, a protruding part that contacts the skin of the living body, a pressure measuring unit that measures a pressure applied to the living body by the protruding part, a forward and backward movement of the protruding part, and measured by the pressure measuring unit. Pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure to be equal to the set pressure.

  (2) The protrusion has a through hole along the axis, and the light irradiation unit irradiates light through the through hole.

  (3) The skin contact surface of the protruding portion has a circular shape with a diameter of 2 to 20 mm.

  (4) Furthermore, it has the housing | casing in which the said protrusion part is attached so that advance / retreat movement is possible, and the holding means for hold | maintaining the said housing | casing.

  (5) The holding means includes a multi-joint arm in which a plurality of arms are connected via joint portions.

  (6) The pressure measuring means includes a load cell, and the pressure adjusting means includes a differential amplifier that takes a difference between voltage signals corresponding to the measured pressure and the set pressure, and an output of the differential amplifier. And a linear actuator that linearly drives based on the above.

  (7) The constant pressure stimulating device of the present invention includes a protruding portion that is brought into contact with the skin of the living body to locally stimulate the living body, and a pressure measuring unit that measures a pressure applied to the living body by the protruding portion. And a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure measured by the pressure measuring means to be the same as a set pressure by moving the protruding portion forward and backward.

  (8) The above-mentioned constant pressure stimulation device is a device for searching for a trigger point of pain.

  According to the light irradiation device of the present invention, the projecting portion is moved back and forth, and the measured pressure is adjusted to be the same as the set pressure. Therefore, the trigger point is not dependent on the operation of the operator or the thickness of the human body. A constant pressure can be applied to the human body in order to search for light, and light can be emitted to the searched trigger point.

  According to the constant pressure stimulation apparatus of the present invention, constant pressure stimulation can be performed without depending on the operation of the operator or the thickness of the human body.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a light irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The light irradiation device 1 is a device that presses the skin locally with a constant pressure to search for a trigger point of pain and irradiates light on the searched trigger point. As shown in FIG. 1, the light irradiation device 1 includes a light irradiation unit 100, a control unit 200, and a multi-joint arm 300.

  The light irradiation unit 100 includes a protrusion 104 provided in the housing 102 so as to be movable back and forth. The protruding portion 104 is a portion that is brought into contact with the skin of the living body in order to search for a trigger point of pain. A light irradiation port 106 for irradiating light is provided at the tip of the protrusion 104.

  The control unit 200 controls the light irradiation device. Specifically, the control unit 200 controls the protrusion 104 to move forward and backward in order to adjust the pressure applied to the skin by the protrusion 104. Further, the control unit 200 is provided with an operation unit 202 for setting pressure conditions and irradiation conditions, and a display panel 204 for performing various displays.

  The multi-joint arm 300 is configured such that a plurality of arms 301 and 302 are rotatably attached via joint portions 303. The articulated arm 300 serves to move the light irradiator 100 to each point on the patient's skin and hold it on that point. One end of the articulated arm 300 is attached to the housing 100 of the light irradiation unit, and the other end is attached to the stand 206 of the control unit 200. The articulated arm 300 and the stand 206 function as a holding unit that holds the housing of the light irradiation unit 100.

  In addition, an electrical wiring (not shown) for electrically connecting the light irradiation unit 100 and the control unit 200 is provided inside the articulated arm 300, and the light irradiation unit is connected through the electrical wiring. An electric signal is exchanged between 100 and the control unit 200.

  Next, the internal configuration of the light irradiation unit 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the light irradiation unit 100. The light irradiation unit 100 includes a housing 102 and a light emitting element 108 disposed inside the housing 102 for irradiating light from the light irradiation port 106. Further, the light irradiation unit 100 includes a protrusion 104 movably held inside the housing 102, a pressure measurement unit 110 that measures the pressure acting on the protrusion 104, and the protrusion 104 along the axis. A drive unit 112 that moves forward and backward is provided.

  An opening is provided in the center of one end surface of the cylindrical housing 102. The protrusion 104 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and its tip is rounded so that it does not hurt when abutting against the skin 2, and the tip of the protrusion 104 is the end of the housing 102. It is provided so that it can be inserted through the opening.

  It is desirable that the distal end surface of the protrusion 104, that is, the skin contact surface of the protrusion 104 has a circular shape. The diameter of the skin contact surface is 2 to 20 mm, and more preferably 3 to 10 mm. This is because if the size of the skin contact surface is larger than the size of the hardened portion constituting the trigger point, the part other than the trigger point is pressed together, and the patient's reaction becomes dull. This is because if the size of the contact surface is too small, the patient's discomfort due to the protruding portion 104 being pushed against the skin 2 may be mistaken for tenderness of the trigger point. The protrusion 104 is provided with a through hole 114 for allowing light to pass. The through hole 114 is formed along the axis from the irradiation port 106 at the tip of the protrusion 104.

  The pressure measurement unit 110 provided in the housing 102 accommodates a load cell that functions as a pressure sensor that measures the pressure acting on the protrusion 104 (that is, the pressure applied to the skin 2 by the protrusion 104). A base portion of the protruding portion 104 is connected to the load cell. Here, the base of the protrusion 104 and the load cell can be connected by various methods. For example, the protrusion 104 can be attached so that when the protrusion 104 is brought into contact with the skin 2 and receives pressure, the protrusion 104 can finely move inward along the axis to transmit force to the load cell. Since the structure of the load cell is the same as that of the conventional one, detailed description is omitted. In the present embodiment, the pressure measurement unit 110 such as a load cell needs to be arranged so as not to block the through-hole 114 through which light passes.

  The drive unit 112 is a linear actuator that moves the protrusion 104 forward and backward along the axis. As the linear actuator, for example, a type of configuration that obtains linear motion by combining a hollow shaft motor and a ball screw can be employed. In this case, in the hollow shaft motor fixed in the housing 102, the ball nut provided in the rotor portion and the ball screw extended from the base side of the protrusion 104 are screwed together, and the protrusion 104 does not rotate. Is provided with a linear slider or the like. In this case, when the rotor rotates in the positive direction, the protrusion 104 moves outward along the axis, and when the rotor rotates in the negative direction, the protrusion 104 moves inward along the axis. It will be.

  However, the configuration of the drive unit 112 is not limited to this case, and various linear actuators such as a type that obtains linear motion using a wire, a pulley, and a belt, a gear conversion type, and a linear motor type can be employed. Since the specific configuration of the linear actuator is the same as that of the prior art, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the drive unit 112 needs to be arranged so as not to block the through hole 114 of the protrusion 104. For example, in the case of adopting a configuration of a type that obtains a linear motion by combining a hollow shaft motor and a ball screw as the drive unit 112, the ball screw extended from the base side of the protrusion 104 also has a through hole along the axis. By forming the through hole and communicating with the through hole 114 of the protrusion 104, the through hole 114 can be configured not to be blocked.

  Next, the light emitting element 108 will be described. The light emitting element 108 is a laser element such as a semiconductor laser element. A light emitting diode (LED) may be employed instead of the semiconductor laser element. The light emitting element 108 is disposed in the housing 102 so that the optical axis of the irradiated light is aligned with the through hole 114.

  Next, a circuit configuration example for adjusting the pressure by driving the driving unit 112 according to the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 110 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a circuit configuration example of the light irradiation apparatus of the present embodiment. Note that the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 3 is mainly mounted on the control unit 200, but a part of the circuit configuration may be mounted on the light irradiation unit 100.

  In the circuit configuration example shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 200 constitutes a feedback control circuit, and includes an amplifier 210, an actually measured pressure display circuit 220, a pressure setting circuit 230, a set pressure display circuit 240, a differential amplifier 250, and A motor drive circuit 260 is included. Here, a case where the pressure measuring unit 110 includes the load cell 116 and the driving unit 112 includes the motor 118 will be described as an example.

  The amplifier 210 detects a voltage signal from the load cell 116. The load cell 116 incorporates a Wheatstone bridge circuit, and the output of the Wheatstone bridge circuit is detected as a voltage signal. The obtained voltage signal corresponds to the actually measured pressure, and this voltage signal is input to the actually measured pressure display circuit 220 and also to the differential amplifier 250. The actually measured pressure display circuit 220 displays the actually measured pressure value on the display panel 204.

  The pressure setting circuit 230 is a circuit for setting a target pressure. The set pressure (referred to as “set pressure”) can be appropriately changed by the operator operating the operation unit 202. A voltage signal corresponding to the set pressure is input to the set pressure display circuit 240 and also to the differential amplifier 250. The set pressure display circuit 240 displays the set pressure value on the display panel 204.

  The differential amplifier 250 takes a difference between voltage signals respectively corresponding to the actually measured pressure and the set pressure, and amplifies the voltage signal with a predetermined gain as necessary and transmits it to the motor drive circuit 260. As a result, the motor drive circuit 260 outputs a command to the motor 118 according to the difference between the actually measured pressure and the set pressure. When the motor 118 that has received the command rotates, the protrusion 104 moves forward and backward accordingly.

  According to the circuit as described above, when the protrusion 104 is in contact with the skin 2, the protrusion 104 is moved forward and backward so that the pressure measured by the pressure measurement unit 110 is adjusted to be the same as the set pressure. can do.

  Next, a trigger point search and light irradiation processing procedure using the light irradiation device 1 configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure using the light irradiation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.

  First, pressure conditions and irradiation conditions are set (step S101). Specifically, a pressure for pressing the skin 2 by the protruding portion 104 is set. The value of the set pressure can be appropriately determined by experimental observation. Moreover, irradiation intensity and irradiation time are set as irradiation conditions. If the setting has already been made and there is no need to change the setting, the process of step S101 is omitted.

  Next, the practitioner positions the light irradiation unit 100 on the patient's skin 2 (step 102). The positioned light irradiation unit 100 is held by the articulated arm 300 and the stand 206.

  The protrusion 104 is brought into contact with the skin 2 (step S103), and the pressure measurement unit 110 measures the pressure applied to the living body by the protrusion 104 (step S104). The pressure measurement may be started by a practitioner operating a switch or the like, or by detecting a pressure change caused by the protrusion 104 coming into contact with the skin 2 by the pressure measurement unit 110. It may be started automatically. In this case, it can be said that the pressure measurement unit 110 also functions as a touch sensor.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the actually measured pressure P is the same as the set pressure (step S105). The set pressure is set as one pressure value. However, in consideration of errors and control stability, a pressure range having a certain width may be set as the set pressure. If the measured pressure P is not the same as the set pressure (step S105: NO), a pressure adjustment process is performed (step S106). First, the differential amplifier 250 outputs a difference between voltage signals respectively corresponding to the actually measured pressure P and the set pressure, and the drive unit 112 that is a linear actuator is linearly driven in accordance with this output. As a result, the protrusion 104 moves along the axis and the pressure is adjusted. That is, the differential amplifier 250 and the drive unit 112 function as pressure adjusting means for adjusting the measured pressure P to be the same as the set pressure.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing specific contents of the pressure adjustment processing. FIG. 5 corresponds to the subroutine of step S106 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the measured pressure P is smaller than the set pressure (step S201: YES), the projecting portion 104 moves outward (projecting direction) (step S202). As a result, the pressure is increased. On the other hand, when the actually measured pressure P is larger than the set pressure (step S203: YES), the projecting portion 104 moves inward (withdrawing direction) (step S204). As a result, the pressure is reduced.

  The pressure measurement process (step S104), the comparison process with the set pressure (step S105), and the pressure adjustment process (step S106) are repeatedly executed. As a result, when the patient's body moves, the protrusion 104 moves inward or outward accordingly. Therefore, the pressurization strength is always controlled so that the actually measured pressure matches the set pressure.

  While the trigger point that is the point having the strongest pain among the tender points has not been specified (step S107: NO), the processing of the above steps S101 to S106 is repeated. Specifically, the processing of steps S101 to S107 is repeated for a plurality of points in the area of skin 2 with tenderness, and a trigger point is specified. At this time, since each point can be pressed with a constant pressure, the patient's pain response at each point can be easily compared, and the trigger point can be easily identified.

  When the trigger point is specified, light irradiation is promptly performed and the treatment shifts to treatment. That is, the practitioner hears voice from the patient, and if it is determined that the trigger point has been specified, instructs the irradiation. In the state where the trigger point is specified as described above, when an irradiation instruction is given (step S107: YES), an irradiation process is performed (step S108). The practitioner can instruct irradiation by pressing a hand switch (not shown) or the like.

  In the irradiation process (step S108), the light emitted by the light emitting element 108 is irradiated to the skin 2 from the irradiation port 106 through the through hole 114. In particular, since light can be emitted from the irradiation port 106 provided in the protruding portion 104 itself to which pressure is applied, irradiation with the pressure applied by the protruding portion 104 (compression irradiation) is easy. . Such compression irradiation is also effective for light irradiation to the stellate ganglion in the exchange ganglion block therapy. That is, the stellate ganglion is located in front of the first thoracic vertebral process, that is, in the subcutaneous deep part of the neck near the chest, so that compression irradiation is preferable in order to sufficiently transmit light to the stellate ganglion. is there.

  The light irradiation device 1 configured as described above has the following effects.

  (A) The pressure applied to the human body does not change depending on the operator's operation or the thickness of the human body, and a constant pressure can be applied to the human body to find the trigger point. Therefore, the response of the human body due to the pressure stimulus can be easily compared, and the trigger point can be easily searched. In particular, even if the practitioner is not skilled in the operation, it is possible to search for the site that reacts most strongly to the pressure stimulus, so that accurate light irradiation is possible and effective treatment is possible.

  (A) Especially when the patient moves, the projection 104 moves in accordance with the movement, so that the operation becomes easy.

  (C) Since the through-hole 114 is provided along the axis line in the protruding portion 104 itself that comes into contact with and presses against the human body, and light can be irradiated through the through-hole 114, the compression irradiation is easy.

  (D) Since the skin contact surface of the protruding portion has a circular shape and the diameter is 2 to 20 mm, more preferably 3 to 10 mm, the size of the skin contact surface is the same size as the trigger point. It is possible to obtain a good human reaction due to pressure stimulation.

  (E) Since the housing 102 of the light irradiation unit 100 is held by holding means including the articulated arm 300 and the stand 206, the light irradiation unit 100 can be moved to each point on the skin 2 and light The irradiation unit 100 can be held on each point. Therefore, the operability is improved.

  (F) Since the pressure measuring unit 110 using the load cell is incorporated in the housing 102, the pressure can be measured with high accuracy and continuously compared to the case where a limit switch or the like is used. Moreover, the apparatus can be reduced in size.

  (G) Since the linear actuator is linearly driven based on the output of the differential amplifier using a differential amplifier that amplifies the difference between the measured pressure and the set set pressure, a limit switch or the like is used. Unlike the case, the set value can be changed in a flexible manner corresponding to the difference in state between patients and individual differences, and an appropriately selected constant pressure can be applied.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these cases, and it is obvious that various omissions, additions, and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. .

  For example, in the above description, a case has been described in which a through hole is provided in a protruding portion that comes into contact with a human body and light is irradiated through the through hole. Certainly, such a configuration is desirable in order to make it possible to easily perform the compression irradiation, but the present invention is not limited to this case. The present invention relates to a light irradiation device having a function of locally applying a constant pressure to a human body by a protrusion in order to move the protrusion back and forth and search for a pain trigger point so that the measured pressure is equal to the set pressure. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the protruding portion and the optical path are separately provided. According to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, it is not necessary to provide a through hole or the like in the protruding portion 104, the pressure measuring unit 110, the driving unit 112, and the like, and thus the configuration of the present invention becomes easy.

  Also, as shown in steps S102 to S106 in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the configuration including the pressure measuring unit and the pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure by moving the protruding portion forward and backward is a constant pressure stimulus other than the light irradiation device. It is also useful as a device. Such a constant pressure stimulating device includes a protruding portion that is brought into contact with the skin of the living body, a pressure measuring unit that measures a pressure applied to the living body by the protruding portion, and a protruding portion in order to locally stimulate the living body. A pressure adjusting unit that moves forward and backward to adjust the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit to be the same as the set pressure. Such a constant pressure stimulating device can be used as a constant pressure stimulating device for searching for a trigger point, and can also be used as a constant pressure stimulating device used for experiments on physiological tactile sense, pressure sense, and pain sensation.

  It can be widely used in light irradiation devices and constant pressure stimulation devices.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the light irradiation apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the light irradiation part shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the circuit structural example of the light irradiation apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence using the light irradiation apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the specific content of the pressure adjustment process in step S106 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the light irradiation apparatus of the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 light irradiation device,
2 skin,
100 light irradiation part,
102 housing,
104 protrusion,
106 Light irradiation port,
108 light emitting device,
110 Pressure measurement unit,
112 drive unit,
114 through hole,
116 load cell,
118 motor,
200 control unit,
206 stand,
210 amplifier,
250 differential amplifier,
300 Articulated arm.

Claims (8)

A light irradiation device that irradiates light to a pain trigger point,
Light irradiation means for irradiating light;
In order to search for a trigger point to be irradiated with light by the light irradiation means, a protrusion that is brought into contact with the skin of the living body,
Pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure applied to the living body by the protrusion, and
A light irradiation apparatus comprising pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure measured by the pressure measuring means to be the same as a set pressure by moving the protruding portion forward and backward. The protrusion has a through hole along the axis,
The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit irradiates light through the through hole.   The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the skin contact surface of the protruding portion has a circular shape with a diameter of 2 to 20 mm. Further, a housing to which the protruding portion is attached so as to be movable forward and backward,
The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising holding means for holding the casing.   The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the holding unit includes a multi-joint arm in which a plurality of arms are connected via a joint portion. The pressure measuring means includes a load cell,
The pressure adjusting means includes a differential amplifier that takes a difference between voltage signals respectively corresponding to the measured pressure and a set pressure, and a linear actuator that linearly drives based on the output of the differential amplifier. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein In order to locally stimulate the living body, a protruding portion that comes into contact with the skin of the living body,
Pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure applied to the living body by the protrusion, and
A constant pressure stimulating device comprising pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure measured by the pressure measuring means to be the same as a set pressure by moving the protrusion forward and backward.   The constant pressure stimulating device according to claim 6, wherein the constant pressure stimulating device is a device for searching for a trigger point of pain.

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