JP2015205166A - Home thermotherapy device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly safe home thermotherapy device which has a high therapeutic effect, is easy to handle, and is inexpensive, and which allows a user to easily undergo effective thermotherapy even at home.SOLUTION: A home thermotherapy device includes: a heating pad 11 having a planar heating body 21 which includes a heating wire 27 nearly uniformly arranged on one entire surface of a planar core material 24 and which generates heat by being supplied with power; and power supply means for supplying power to the planar heating body 21. The home thermotherapy device is put on a user's body and warms an affected area with the heating pad 11. The heating pad 11 generates heat using a constant voltage power source which does not cause a low-temperature burn by the amount of heat generation or the temperature during use, and which can continuously warm the affected area for a long time. In addition, the heating pad 11 has a size, thickness, and flexibility capable of sleeping or doing daily activities while putting it on the body without feeling uncomfortable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a home thermotherapy device that heats an affected area via a thermal pad.

  Hyperthermia is a method that warms the affected area such as the shoulders and lower back, and increases self-healing power by increasing the blood flow due to that temperature, and is an effective treatment method for old neuralgia, muscle pain, coldness, etc. is there. It is common to perform warming treatment for several tens of minutes in orthopedics, etc., but repeated treatment is necessary, and in addition to the burden of each hospital visit, in addition to the treatment cost. Naturally, a thermotherapy device that can be used at home is desired, and many thermotherapy devices have been developed and products have been sold.

  There are various types of thermotherapy devices. For example, a thermotherapy device using a disposable body warmer, a thermotherapy device using a heating wire (heater), a thermotherapy device using a heat storage material that is warmed in a microwave oven, and a thermotherapy that performs low-frequency therapy simultaneously with the thermotherapy There are treatment tools.

  There are various types of thermotherapy devices that use heating wires. So far, a mattress-type thermotherapy device (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a type of thermotherapy device that is worn on the face (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ), A type of thermal treatment device (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1) that is worn on the body and used.

JP 2009-268673 A JP-A-6-343657

http://www.sunmedical-net.co.jp/sun-mat.html

  In order to use a thermotherapy device comfortably at home, it is also important that at least the thermotherapy device has all of high safety, high therapeutic effect, and easy handling, and that it is inexpensive in terms of availability. is there. The thermotherapy devices that have been developed or commercialized so far have room for improvement in any of the above points.

  For example, many commercially available thermotherapy devices can be set to high temperatures. In the case of such a thermotherapy device, the patient tries to obtain an effect in a short time and is used at a high temperature, which may cause a low-temperature burn unexpectedly. Even if it feels comfortable at the beginning of heating, if it is heated for more than 1 hour, low temperature burns will occur. In particular, warming treatment during sleep is generally prohibited because the patient does not feel burned during sleep. In the case of a home thermotherapy device, people who are not familiar with the operation of the device may also use it, so a thermotherapy device that cannot be used in a manner that causes low temperature burns is preferred.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a home thermotherapy device that has high safety, high therapeutic effect, ease of handling, and low cost, and that can effectively and effectively perform thermotherapy at home.

  Conventional thermotherapy uses a preconception that long-time heating causes low-temperature burns, and adopts a temperature that has a therapeutic effect with short-time heating, that is, a temperature that causes burns when heated for a long time. It is a method of managing warm time. If the present inventor repeats heating for a long time (2 to 3 hours or more) to the affected area with a heat amount or temperature that does not cause low-temperature burns even during long-time heating, neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, rheumatism It was found empirically that it is very effective in treating coldness.

  That is, by repeating the heating for a long time, the present inventors have empirically found the existence of a heating range that does not cause low-temperature burns and has a medical effect. This treatment method differs from the conventional thermotherapy in heating temperature and heating time, and is referred to as a new thermotherapy, which will hereinafter be referred to as main thermotherapy. The present invention is a thermotherapy device for this thermotherapy.

  Limiting the amount of heat or temperature that does not cause low-temperature burns by heating can ensure that low-temperature burns that have been a problem of heat treatment are not caused. In order to obtain a high effect, it is necessary to be a heating device suitable for repeated long-term use, but if it can be ensured that low-temperature burns will not occur, heat treatment during sleep that has been prohibited in the past will be possible .

  In addition to the advantage that long-term warming treatment, which is a necessary condition of this hyperthermia therapy, is not substantially restrained by the treatment, it is more effective to take measures to perform warming treatment during sleep. , Widen applications, easy to handle, low cost, etc., and efficiently solved the problems, specifically as follows.

  The present invention insulates a sheet heating element that is provided with an electric heating element that is substantially evenly arranged on one or both sides of a sheet-shaped core member and generates heat upon receiving power supply, and a back surface of the sheet heating element. A thermal pad comprising a heat insulating material, a covering material covering the front surface of the planar heating element, a covering material covering the back surface of the thermal insulating material, and a power supply to the planar heating element. Power supply means for supplying, a thermal treatment tool for home use that is worn on the body and warms the affected area via the thermal pad, wherein the thermal pad has a low calorific value or low temperature during use. With a constant voltage power source that can continuously heat the affected area for a long time without waking up, and with this thermal pad attached to the body, the size, thickness, It is a home-use thermotherapy device characterized by having flexibility.

  In the home thermotherapy device of the present invention, an AC adapter is used as the constant voltage power source.

  In the home thermal therapy device according to the present invention, the thermal pad is a thermal pad that is temperature-controlled and heated at a constant temperature instead of heat generation by the constant voltage power source.

  The home thermotherapy device of the present invention is a home thermotherapy device that is heated at a constant temperature and includes a temperature control device that controls the temperature of the heating surface of the heating pad to a predetermined temperature, The thermal pad is controlled to a constant temperature, and its set temperature is 42 ° C. or lower.

  Further, in the home thermotherapy device of the present invention, the temperature control device includes a sensor that detects a temperature attached to the thermal pad, and when the affected part is heated via the thermal pad, the temperature sensing unit of the sensor Is pressed against the affected area.

Further, in the home thermotherapy device of the present invention, the heating pad has a heating surface size of 50 to 350 cm ² of the planar heating element, and has a thickness of 12 mm or less when used as an underlay of the body. It is characterized in that it is formed without irregularities and solids that give a sense of incongruity.

  Moreover, the home thermotherapy device of the present invention is characterized in that the electric heating body is made of a stainless steel material having flexibility that can be easily bent by hand.

  In the thermal therapy device for home use according to the present invention, the heat insulating material has a cushioning property, and compresses when a load is applied, and heat conductivity increases after compression as compared with before compression.

  Moreover, the thermotherapy device for home use according to the present invention is characterized in that the planar heating element is composed of a developable surface formed by bending and connecting a plurality of planar planar heating elements, and is an approximate three-dimensional curved surface. .

  Further, in the home thermotherapy device of the present invention, a bag is formed of a covering material that covers the front surface and a covering material that covers the back surface of the heat insulating material, and the sheet heating element and the heat insulating material. Is accommodated in the bag body so that it can be inserted and removed freely, and all or a part of the bag body has a loop surface to which a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener can be locked.

  Further, the home thermotherapy device of the present invention further includes a cover covering a covering material covering the front surface and a covering material covering the back surface of the heat insulating material, and the cover is associated with a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener. It has a loop surface that can be stopped.

  Moreover, the household thermotherapy device of the present invention is characterized in that the covering material for covering the back surface of the heat insulating material and / or the heat insulating material is omitted.

The home thermotherapy device of the present invention is the heating value of the planar heating element, 2.5 W / dm ² or less the area of the heating surface of the planar heating element as a reference, and 0.7 W / dm ² or more It is characterized by being.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there is no fear of causing low temperature burns, and there is provided a home thermotherapy device that is highly effective, easy to use, inexpensive, and capable of performing an effective thermotherapy safely and comfortably at home. be able to.

1 is a perspective view of a home thermotherapy device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the thermal pad 11 of the household thermal treatment tool 1 of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the thermal pad 11 of the household thermal treatment tool 1 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the other planar heating element 21 of the home thermotherapy tool 1 of FIG. It is a perspective view of the home thermotherapy tool 2 of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the home thermotherapy tool 3 of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the heat pad 11 of the home heat treatment tool 3 of FIG. 6 was mounted | worn to the affected part. It is a figure which shows a mode that the heat pad 11 of the home heat treatment tool 3 of FIG. 6 was mounted | worn to the affected part. It is a figure which shows a mode that the heat pad 11 of the home heat treatment tool 3 of FIG. 6 was mounted | worn to the affected part. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the three-dimensional curved thermal pad 71 of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the result of having measured the skin temperature at the time of using the home thermotherapy device 3 of FIG. It is a photograph of the affected part of rheumatism when using the home thermotherapy device 3 of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a home thermotherapy device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a heat pad 11 of the home thermotherapy device 1, and FIG. 3 is a home thermotherapy. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal pad 11 of the tool 1. FIG. The drawings are for explaining the structure and structure, and all members are not necessarily drawn to the same scale.

  The home thermotherapy device 1 is a thermotherapy device for this thermotherapy that was developed in order to use it repeatedly for a long time, including during sleep, and it is easy to use and can be used safely and effectively at home. It is a device that repeatedly heats the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, and arms (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the affected area) for a long time approximately every day, including during sleep, limited to the amount of heat that does not cause low-temperature burns. .

  The home thermotherapy device 1 heats the affected part by directly attaching the thermal pad 11 to the affected part or by attaching it to an underwear, a shirt, etc., but it can be heated while sleeping or performing other work. It has been devised to allow warm treatment. A specific configuration will be described below.

  The home thermal therapy device 1 includes a thermal pad 11 that includes a planar heating element 21 that generates heat when supplied with power, and a power supply means 41 that supplies power to the thermal pad 11.

  The home thermotherapy device 1 of this embodiment does not include a control device that measures the temperature of the surface heating element surface (front surface) 22 and controls the amount of heat generation to keep the temperature constant. It is a type of thermal treatment device that is energized at a constant voltage and emits a certain amount of heat in the same manner as a normal electric heater.

  Here, the case where the material of the heating element of the planar heating element 21 is PTC (positive temperature coefficient) will be described. Since the resistance of the heating element having this characteristic increases as the temperature increases, the heating value decreases as the temperature increases even if the voltage is constant, and the heating value increases as the temperature decreases. Therefore, using a heating element with this characteristic at a constant voltage stabilizes the temperature against disturbance and is very preferable from the viewpoint of the characteristic. However, it is necessary to satisfy other conditions such as cost, resistance value, strength, and flexibility. Moreover, about the thermotherapy device of the type provided with the control apparatus which measures the temperature of the planar heating element surface 22, controls the calorific value, and makes the temperature constant, of the thermotherapy device 2 for home use of 2nd Embodiment. By the way, I will explain.

  The thermal pad 11 stores a sheet heating element 21 that generates heat upon receiving power supply, a heat insulating material 31 that insulates the back surface (back surface) 23 of the sheet heating element 21, and the sheet heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 31. And a storage cover 35. The heating pad 11 has a heating surface 12 on the side having the planar heating element 21 and a heat insulating surface 13 on the side having the heat insulating material 31, and heats the affected area via the heating surface 12.

  Here, the definition of the size of the thermal pad 11 will be described. The apparent size of the thermal pad 11 is the size of the storage cover 35, but in this specification, it is expressed by the area of the planar heating element 21 or the length of the side.

The thermal pad 11 can be used while the user sleeps at home, is easy to handle, and is specified to a specific size for the purpose of enhancing the therapeutic effect and reducing the cost. The size of the planar heat generating element 21 which determines the magnitude of the thermal pad 11 substantially is 50～350Cm ^2, the preferred size is 80～300Cm ^2, a more preferred size is 100~250cm ^2. The size of the heat pad 11 characterizes the home heat treatment device of the present invention, and the basis thereof will be described later.

  Furthermore, in order to be suitable for use during sleep, the thermal pad 11 according to the present embodiment has a thickness of 12 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less when used as an underlay of the body, and is formed without irregularities and solids that give the body a sense of incongruity. Has been. In addition, it has flexibility and flexibility so as to be in close contact with the curved surface of the body to be worn.

  Although the heating pad 11 shown in the present embodiment is formed in a substantially square flat plate shape, the shape is not limited to a square or a plane, but may be a rectangle, an ellipse, a circle, or a three-dimensional curved surface.

  It is possible to match most affected areas with a developable surface by bending a single plate-like thermal pad 11 which is easy to manufacture, low cost and easy to handle. However, in the case where the affected part is a curved surface like an irregular bowl, it cannot be followed by bending a single flat thermal pad. In this case, a three-dimensional curved thermal pad along the affected area is required.

  One of the methods for producing a three-dimensional curved surface is an approximated cubic curved surface that is a developable curved surface in which a plurality of flat sheet-like heating elements are bent and connected. Of course, the housing cover can be approximated by a developable surface, and further, it can be approximated by adjusting the connection and heater wire density so that the amount of heat generated per heater unit area of each planar heating element is constant. Although there are drawbacks such as high cost and limited use location, a thermal pad having a three-dimensional surface close to the curved surface of the affected area is possible. Further, by adopting a material capable of expanding and contracting the core material 24, the housing cover 35, etc., it is possible to more easily adhere to the curved surface of the affected part even if it does not completely match the curved surface of the affected part, so the number of planar heating elements to be connected is reduced. You can also

Household thermal therapy device 1 is used by the heating value of the planar heating element 21 relative to the area of the heating surface of the planar heat generating element 21 2.5 W / dm ² or less and 0.7 W / dm ² or more locations By selecting according to the above, it is possible to perform a warming treatment on the affected part continuously for a long time without causing low-temperature burns.

Precisely, the thermal pad 11 used for the wrist, fingers, toes and the like where the affected area is small and the outside is not warmed is small, and the amount of heat generated by such a thermal pad 11 is around 1.5 W / dm ^2. preferable. The thermal pad 11 used for the lower back, the buttocks, etc. is kept warm by a futon or the like and has a large size. In the case of such a thermal pad 11, about 1.0 W / dm ² is preferable.

  The planar heating element 21 is composed of a flat or curved core member 24 having flexibility or flexibility, and an electric heating element (heating element) 27 that generates heat upon receiving power supply. The core material 24 is evenly arranged and fixed on one surface (front surface) 25 as a whole. In this embodiment, the surface on which the electric heating element 27 is disposed is the front surface (surface) 22 of the planar heating element 21, the heating surface, and the surface on which the electric heating element 27 is not disposed is the surface heating element 21. This is a back surface (back surface) 23. In the present embodiment, the electric heating element 27 is disposed only on one surface of the core member 24, but the electric heating element 27 may be disposed on both the front and rear surfaces of the core member 24. However, from the viewpoint of effectively utilizing the heat insulating property of the core member 24, it is preferable to concentrate on one surface. Moreover, it mentions later that the electric heating body 27 may be arrange | positioned on the back surface of the core material 24. FIG.

  The core member 24 is a member for supporting the electric heating element 27, and in the present embodiment, is a flat plate and has a substantially square shape.

  The thickness of the core member 24 is not limited to a specific thickness, and is preferably thinner because the thickness of the thermal pad 11 is limited. As shown in Examples described later, a preferable thickness of the core member 24 is about 0.5 to 3 mm.

  Needless to say, the core member 24 needs to have insulating performance, but is strong against repeated bending and the like, and is made of a material having supportability and ease of attachment of the electric heating element 27, flexibility or flexibility. Since the core material 24 is expected to function as a heat insulating material, one having lower thermal conductivity is preferable. Furthermore, the core material 24 is preferably inexpensive and easily available, and felt (nonwoven fabric) can be suitably used.

  Since the shape and material of the core material 24 greatly affect the thickness, flexibility, etc. of the thermal pad 11, it is necessary to select the core material 24 so as to satisfy the specifications of the thermal pad 11. Needless to say. This also applies to the electric heating element 27, the heat insulating material 31, and the storage cover 35. Of course, the insulating material 31 and the like, which are in contact with the electric heating element 27, need insulating performance.

  The electric heating element 27 is a member that generates heat when supplied with power, and is arranged and fixed evenly on the entire front surface 25 of the core material. For this reason, the area of the heating surface of the planar heating element 21 can be considered as the area of the front surface 25 of the core material. The selection of the electric heating element 27 requires comprehensive consideration of the following points.

  If the temperature distribution of the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 is not uniform, the highest temperature is the target of low-temperature burns, so it is desirable to heat uniformly. For this purpose, the electric heating element 27 that can be arranged densely with respect to the core member 24 should be used.

  For example, when the heating wire 27 having a large resistance value per unit length is used for the heating element 27, the length of the heating wire 27 is shortened. If such a heating wire 27 is arranged on the core member 24, the interval between the adjacent heating wires 27 is wide, and the temperature difference between the heating wire 27 and the vicinity thereof and the portion without the heating wire 27 is not preferable. On the other hand, if the resistance value per unit length is too small, the heating wire 27 becomes too long and it becomes difficult to attach to the core member 24. For this reason, the heating wire 27 has a preferable resistance value per unit length according to the voltage of the power source. For example, when the length of the heating wire 27 is about 2.5 m, the voltage is 5 V, and the output is 1 W, 5 × 5 / 2.5 = 10Ω / m.

  In order to allow the heating pad 11 to have flexibility and fit it along the affected area without difficulty, the electric heating element 27 itself needs to have the flexibility to bend easily by hand. Furthermore, the electric heater 27 is required to have tensile strength, durability against repeated bending, and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, it is easy to obtain and inexpensive.

  The material of the electric heating element 27 is not limited to a metal, but is a material that generates heat when energized, such as a conductive film. Furthermore, in order to obtain the optimum resistance, not only linear shapes but also strip shapes and foil shapes are targeted. As the electric heating element 27 that is easily available and inexpensive, a general-purpose wire or a general-purpose foil material such as stainless steel, copper, or aluminum is preferable. Further, in consideration of flexibility, strength, etc., a wire having a wire diameter of 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm is preferable, and a wire having a resistance of approximately 10 Ω / m is obtained. Further, an alloy having a PTC characteristic, a resin film, or the like is very preferable as the electric heating element 27 from the viewpoint of heat generation characteristics with respect to temperature, if flexibility, strength, and other characteristics of electric resistance and cost are met.

  When the voltage is about 5 to 12 V as the electric heater 27 having the above characteristics, a stainless steel wire having a wire diameter of 0.3 mm that is commercially available as a general-purpose wire can be suitably used. This is because the specific electrical resistance of stainless steel such as SUS304 is about 72 Ωm, and 10.2 Ω / m at a wire diameter of 0.3 mm.

  The arrangement of the electric heating element 27 with respect to the core member 24 is important in terms of the uniformity of heat generation on the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 and the flexibility and flexibility of the heating pad 11. In the sheet heating element 21 of the present embodiment, the heating wire 27 having a thin wire diameter is fixed in a spiral manner and uniformly on the entire front surface 25 of the core material at a narrow interval. Thereby, the uniformity of heat generation on the heating surface 12 of the thermal pad 11 and the flexibility and flexibility of the thermal pad 11 can be ensured.

  As a preferable arrangement example of the heating wire 27 with respect to the core member 24, there is an arrangement as shown in FIG.

  The method for fixing the electric heating element 27 to the core member 24 is only required to be able to reliably fix the electric heating element 27 to the core member 24, and may be appropriately determined in relation to the material of the core member 24. For example, when the core member 24 is felt and the heating element 27 is the heating wire 27, the heating wire 27 can be sewn and fixed to the core member 24 with a thread 28 (see FIG. 2). When the core member 24 is a plastic plate, a method of thermally welding the heating wire 27 to the core member 24 or a method of bonding with an adhesive may be used.

  In the home thermal therapy device 1 of the present embodiment, power is supplied to the heating wire 27 via the lead wire 29. At this time, the joint portion between the lead wire 29 and the heating wire 27 is made as small as possible, and the joint portion is the back surface and the outer peripheral portion of the planar heating element 21. As a result, even if the body is laid on the body, the heating surface 12 is not uneven, and there is no sense of discomfort or discomfort during use.

  The heat insulating material 31 is a member that covers and insulates the entire back surface 23 of the planar heating element 21 and is made of a low thermal conductivity material. If this heat insulation performance is poor, the amount of heat released from the back surface 23 of the sheet heating element 21 is greatly affected by the outside temperature environment, and the effective heat amount entering the body becomes unstable, so this heat insulation performance needs to be good. It is. Moreover, the heat insulating material 31 is a material excellent in flexibility or a softness | flexibility in order to ensure the flexibility of a thermal pad 11, a softness | flexibility, and thickness, and it is desirable that it is thin. Further, those which are easily available and inexpensive are preferred.

  The heat insulating material 31 is preferably a heat insulating material that has a cushion (stretchable) property and is compressed by a load from above, and has a higher heat transfer coefficient after compression than before compression. This is due to the following reason.

  For example, when the thermal pad 11 is placed under the body and brought into a reduced state, the heating surface 12 of the thermal pad is in close contact with the skin and heat transfer is improved. At this time, if the heat insulating performance on the heat insulating material 31 side does not change, the skin temperature rises. If the heat insulation performance of the heat insulating material 31 is deteriorated and the heat conduction is improved when the same state is obtained, this increase in the temperature of the skin can be suppressed.

  Examples of such a heat insulating material 31 include cotton or synthetic resin cloth, felt (nonwoven fabric), laminated material and the like having an air layer inside and having elasticity, and quilting is a particularly preferable material. Although aluminum thin foamed polystyrene is a good material, it has little property of reducing thermal insulation performance due to compression. If the core member 24 has a function equivalent to that of the heat insulating material 31, the heat insulating material 31 may be omitted.

  The method of covering the sheet heating element 21 with the heat insulating material 31 is not particularly limited. When a quilt interlining material is used for the heat insulating material 31, the planar heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 31 may be sewn. Even when the sheet heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 31 are stored in the storage cover 35, the sheet heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 21 are insulated so that the sheet heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 31 do not shift in the storage cover 35. It is preferable to fix the material 31. When the heat insulating material 31 is quilted, the heat insulating material 31 may be used as a part of the storage cover 35 of the sheet heating element 21 by combining with the cover material 38 on the back side and combining with the cover material 37 on the front side.

  The storage cover 35 is formed into a bag shape by stitching together a front side covering material 37 that covers the front surface 22 of the planar heating element 21 and a back side covering material 38 that covers the back surface of the heat insulating material 31. The heating element 21 and the heat insulating material 31 are accommodated. The outer dimension of the storage cover 35 is about 5 to 15 mm larger on each side than the outer dimension of the planar heating element 21 due to a seam allowance and a margin.

  The covering material 37 on the surface side comes into contact with the affected part or underwear during use. Since it may be in direct contact with the skin, it is made of a thin fabric that is soft to the touch, and the thickness may be about 1 mm to 0.1 mm. If it is unnecessarily thick, the thermal pad 11 becomes thick, and the thermal resistance also increases. Absent.

  Here, heat transfer and heat insulation of the planar heating element 21, the front surface 22, and the back surface 23 will be described. If the entire amount of heat generated by the planar heating element 21 can be transmitted to the skin (affected area), it is desirable that the amount of heat transfer is constant regardless of the environment. For this purpose, the smaller the thermal resistance between the surface side of the electric heating element 27 and the skin, the better the reverse side the greater the thermal resistance. For example, on the surface side, it is preferable to arrange the electric heating element 27 on the surface side of the core member 24. On the other hand, although it has been described in paragraph 0048 that the pitch of the electric heating elements 27 is reduced, there is a limit to reducing the pitch due to the amount of heat generation, manufacturing, and the like. If the pitch of the electric heating elements 27 becomes too wide and the heat generated by the electric heating elements 27 reaches the skin before the surface is diffused, the skin along the electric heating elements 27 becomes locally hot. Therefore, when the pitch of the electric heaters 27 is increased, it is necessary to properly insulate between the skins.

  It is also possible to attach the electric heating element 27 to the back surface side of the heat insulating core material 24 and use the core material 24 as a heat insulating material on the front surface side (affected part side). Therefore, the electric heating body 27 may be attached to the back side of the core member 24, and a heat insulating material may be put on the surface side of the electric heating body 27. In addition, in order to diffuse the heat generated by the electric heating element 27, there is a method of putting a sheet for heat diffusion on the surface of the electric heating element 27. However, the material of the sheet is generally a metal, and there are problems such as insulation, flexibility, and heat capacity. Newly occurs. The problem of an increase in the heat capacity of the thermal pad 11 will be described later. The larger the heat insulation is, the better the back side of the thermal pad 11 is. Therefore, the thicker the material with high heat insulation performance is, the better it is in the range that does not hinder handling and mounting.

  The power supply means 41 supplies power to the electric heating body 27. In the home thermal treatment device 1 of the present embodiment, the AC adapter 42, the power cord 43 and the lead wire 29 for stepping down the commercial power of 100V are used. The connector 44 for connecting the two corresponds to the power supply means 41. The connector 44 is composed of a detachable plug and jack so that the power supply side and the thermal pad 11 side can be easily separated.

  In the case of a normal electric heater, the square of the power supply voltage of the electric heating element 27 is proportional to the amount of heat generated, and greatly affects the amount of heat generated. Since it is a necessary condition for the present invention to generate a calorific value that does not cause low-temperature burns and has a medical effect, voltage fluctuations must be avoided as much as possible. AC adapters are available on the market with various voltages, outputs, high reliability, and low cost, and the electricity bill is extremely low. In addition, since a stable voltage can be obtained, this power supply is very excellent.

  On the other hand, although a battery can be used, it is not preferable in the following points. There are different types of batteries with the same external voltage but different output voltages. Moreover, even if the same battery is used, the voltage is not constant, for example, the voltage decreases with time of use, and is not suitable for this power source. In addition, batteries that cannot be recharged are disposable, increasing the cost of use. Moreover, the battery which can be charged has the high cost of the battery itself, and the troublesomeness of charging is added.

  This home thermotherapy device 1 drastically solved the problem of low-temperature burns by limiting the amount of heat to be heated so as not to cause low-temperature burns even when heated for a long time. The body restraint at the time of treatment was substantially avoided by performing repeated warming for a long time of 2 to 3 hours or more during sleep to obtain a high effect. Furthermore, the means for facilitating the warming for a long time during sleep and the result thereof further improve the effects, are easy to use, can be used comfortably, solve the problems such as cost reduction, and have other various effects. It is the feature. Details will be described below.

<Restraining during treatment>
Traditionally, during repeated warming treatments, restraining the body and restricting behavior has been a problem even at home treatment. If this is a long time of 2 to 3 hours or more, it is not practical. The home thermotherapy device 1 substantially solves this problem by heating treatment during sleep. Instead, it has become a requirement to facilitate warming during sleep. In order to avoid body restraint, there is also a method of carrying a treatment tool, which will be described later.

  A thermal treatment device such as an electric blanket or an electric mat that heats up by covering the body or laying under the body and heating it without moving the heating device can also be heated during sleep. In this case, since the heating device has a large area, the temperature of the whole body rises and becomes hot when heated for a long time, and it is difficult to increase the temperature to an effective temperature for treatment. In addition, the blood circulation throughout the body is improved uniformly, but the blood circulation cannot be concentrated and improved on the local affected area, and a high therapeutic effect cannot be achieved. The warming device used during sleep needs to move together with the affected area, and is more compact. That is, the thermal pad 11 referred to in the present invention is preferably as small as possible in a range that can sufficiently cover the affected area, and as thin as possible in a range where heat insulation performance and the like can be obtained.

Therefore, it is essential to reduce the area of the planar heating element 21. On the other hand, if it is extremely small, the affected area cannot be covered and heated, and the lower limit has its own limit. The planar heating element 21 is large enough to cover and heat the affected area, and has as small an area as possible. More specifically, the cover in order to warm the affected area during sleep is usually 50 cm ² or more is required, the maximum covers the affected area a widest both left and right hips simultaneously and in consideration of the handling such as 350 cm ² of about It becomes. The size of the thermal pad 11, in other words, the size of the planar heating element 21, is important and will be described below to solve many problems.

<High effect>
In the present invention, a high effect is obtained by repeatedly heating the affected part for a long time (2 to 3 hours or more). However, in order to further secure the effect, the planar heating element 21 is provided in the affected part and its vicinity. Is preferably as small as possible within a range where the temperature can be sufficiently heated. The reason is as follows.

  Even if the sheet heating element 21 generates heat uniformly over the entire surface, the amount of heat effective for heating locally varies. This deviation is more likely to occur as the area increases. The amount of heat that is limited so as not to cause low-temperature burns depends on the maximum amount of heat that is heated, and therefore, if this deviation is small, the amount of heat that is heated can be increased. That is, the smaller the heating area, the higher the average heating heat amount of the entire heating surface 12, and the therapeutic effect is enhanced.

  Further, the major cause of the difference in the effective heating amount is that the contact state of the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 with the body is not uniform. It is clear that the smaller the area, the more uniform the contact state.

  Further, when the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 is large, not only the affected part and the vicinity thereof but also the periphery away from the affected part is heated at the same time, and the blood vessels in the part completely unrelated to the affected part are expanded, and a lot of blood flows there . Therefore, it concentrates on the affected part and increases the blood flow volume and inhibits the therapeutic effect. Furthermore, if the area of the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 is large, the amount of heat that is heated also increases, and the heat is transferred to the whole body by the blood flow. If this is heated for a long time, the whole body becomes hot, making it difficult to continue treatment.

<Ease of handling>
In order to facilitate handling of the thermal pad 11, it is important that the pad is small and thin. In particular, if it is a size that can be handled with one hand, it can be mounted at the position of the affected area with one hand, and it can be easily changed to a position of another affected area when it is displaced during use. Also, if the thermal pad 11 is small and thin, the connector 44 can be disconnected and acted with it always attached, and connected and heated where there is a power source.

<About cost>
The home thermotherapy device 1 is already low in cost because it has a simple structure and few components, but if the thermal pad 11 is smaller, material costs and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

The size of the planar heating element 21 of the home thermotherapy device 1 has already been described as 50 to 350 cm ² for use during sleep and to cover the affected area, but further, effect, usability, and handleability From the viewpoint of cost, he stated that it should be as small as possible while covering the affected area.

If the size of the affected area is a circle of 5 cm in minimum, the affected area can be covered by making the thermal pad 11 a circle having a diameter of 7.5 cm or a 7 cm square in consideration of the displacement when the thermal pad 11 is mounted. The area is about 50 cm ² . Assuming that the affected area is usually the largest, assuming that the width is 8 cm and the length is 25 cm, the affected area can be covered with a rectangle having a width of 12 cm and a length of 30 cm, and its area is about 350 cm ² . This is usually the minimum and maximum conceivable, more practically about 65 to ²⁰⁰ cm ² , and more often about 100 to 250 cm ² .

<About comfortable use>
The thermal pad 11 is compact and free of irregularities and solids that give a sense of incongruity even when used under the body, and is thin and flexible. Therefore, if you wear it without turning on the power, you forget to wear it. In addition, since fever is limited to the amount of heat that does not cause low-temperature burns, it is very comfortable with soft warmth, and when it is used during sleep, it is very comfortable to warm not only the affected part but also the other part. Even if it is used as a topical body warmer at a normal site in a cold time, it is a great advantage that it can get a comfortable warmth and can sleep.

<About carrying>
Although a dry battery or a rechargeable battery can be used as the power source instead of the AC adapter 42, it has already been described that it is disadvantageous in terms of cost, particularly voltage stability, etc., compared to the AC adapter 42. However, if the temperature control described below is provided, at least the voltage problem will be solved, so if the battery is carried separately from the thermal pad 11 and connected by the connector 44, it can be effectively heated at any place. Become a means. However, the cost of the battery, in addition, the trouble of holding the battery separately, and the trouble of charging in the case of a rechargeable battery are inevitable.

  Next, a description will be given of a type of thermal treatment device provided with a control device that measures the temperature of the heating surface 12 of the thermal pad 11 and controls the amount of heat generation to keep the temperature constant. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the home thermotherapy device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure same as the home thermotherapy device 1 of 1st Embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The home thermotherapy device 2 is different from the home thermotherapy device 1 of the first embodiment in that it includes a temperature control device 51 that controls the temperature of the heating surface 12 of the heat pad 11 to a predetermined temperature. That is, the set temperature is limited to a temperature at which the affected part does not cause low-temperature burns even when the home thermotherapy device 2 is used continuously for a long time. Starting with ensuring that low-temperature burns are not generated, the configuration, size, flexibility, etc. of the thermal pad 11 are the same as those of the home thermal treatment device 1 of the first embodiment.

  The temperature control device 51 includes a temperature sensor 53 that detects the temperature of the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 and a control circuit that controls the amount of power supplied to the heating wire 27 based on a signal from the temperature sensor 53.

  The temperature sensor 53 is a known temperature sensor, and for example, a thermocouple can be used. The temperature sensor 53 is embedded in the heating surface 12. Alternatively, it is fixed to the surface 22 of the planar heating element. A known control method such as feedback control can be used for controlling the amount of electric power, and a control circuit for executing this control can be easily realized by using a microcomputer or the like. In the home thermotherapy device 2 of this embodiment, a control circuit is incorporated in the AC adapter 45.

  In order that the affected part does not cause low-temperature burns even when the home thermotherapy device 2 is used continuously for a long time, the skin temperature of the affected part needs to be 42 ° C. or lower. Exactly, if a part where the blood flow is poor and heat is easily generated is in direct contact with the skin at 42 ° C. and is heated, a large burn does not occur, but a feeling of strangeness may remain after use. In that case, put underwear between the skin and the thermal pad 11. In addition, use thick underwear. Furthermore, it can respond by wrapping the thermal pad 11 with a heat insulating material. 41 ° C. or lower is preferable, and 40 ° C. or lower is more preferable in order to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of discomfort regardless of the usage site, user age, season of use, etc.

  Here, the relationship between the sensor temperature and the actual skin will be described. The heat generation amount distribution in the surface of the planar heating element 21 is constant, but the skin temperature distribution in this surface is not always constant. For example, when the position of the temperature sensor 53 is locally pressurized, the thermal resistance between the sheet heating element 22 and the skin is reduced, the heat transfer efficiency of the portion is improved, and the skin temperature rises from other positions. The temperature is higher than the skin temperature. When a position different from the position of the temperature sensor 53 is locally pressurized, the temperature of the planar heating element 22 at that position decreases and the skin temperature increases, but is lower than the temperature sensor 53. This is because the temperature sensor 53 is normally located closer to the planar heating element 22 than the skin in terms of thermal resistance, and the temperature sensor 53 indicates a temperature closer to the planar heating element 22. Therefore, if the temperature of the temperature sensor 53 is controlled to 42 ° C., the skin temperature does not exceed this temperature.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the temperature sensor 53 is attached to the thermal pad 11 so that the temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor 53 is pressed against the skin side (affected site side) when the thermal pad 11 is attached. When the temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor 53 rises from the skin (affected part), heat does not flow to the skin side (affected part side), so the temperature of the temperature sensing part rises, feedback is applied, and the overall temperature falls. In order to press the temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor 53 against the skin side (affected part side), for example, a cushion material may be attached to the back side (opposite to the skin side) of the temperature sensor 53 and the sensor part may be thickened.

  In the home thermotherapy device 2 of the second embodiment, the heat generation amount of the heating wire 27 is controlled by one temperature sensor 53 and one control circuit. As already described, the temperature deviation is within the same control plane. Will occur. Therefore, even in this home thermotherapy device 2, the smaller this area, the smaller the temperature deviation. However, in the case of this home thermotherapy device 2, the heating wire 27 is divided into two or more, a temperature sensor 53 and a control circuit are provided in each divided heating wire 27, and the temperature control is performed on each heating wire 27. Can be reduced.

  In the case of the home thermotherapy device 2, for safety reasons, it is necessary to consider a malfunction of the control system. Take measures such as detecting the disconnection of the temperature sensor 53 and shutting off the power supply, and detecting the same position with the two temperature sensors 53 and shutting off the power supply when the difference between the detected temperatures exceeds a certain value. Can be dealt with.

  Comparing the home thermotherapy device 2 with the home thermotherapy device 1, the former can be heated at an average higher temperature within the range that does not cause low-temperature burns as much as the heating is stabilized, Improvement can be expected. On the other hand, it is unavoidable that the cost becomes high and the device becomes slightly complicated.

  As described above, as described using the home thermotherapy devices 1 and 2 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the home thermotherapy device of the present invention repeats the affected part repeatedly with a heat amount or temperature that does not cause low-temperature burns. It is a thermotherapy device that heats for hours, and is structurally safe.

  In addition, repeated long-term heating treatment during sleep ensures that the body is not restrained during treatment. Measures for using the heating tool during sleep inevitably make the area of the heating surface 12 of the heating pad 11 small enough and necessary, and by making the heating pad 11 thin and flexible, It guarantees usability. It also contributes to cost. Moreover, even if the area and heat generation amount of the thermal pad 11 are different depending on the place of use, the materials and structures can be the same, and many AC adapters 42 and 45 can be used in common, contributing to usability and cost.

  Further, the home thermotherapy device of the present invention has a very simple structure and few components, does not use a special member, and does not require a high-grade control mechanism, so it is highly reliable and has few failures.

  In order to make the home thermal treatment device easier to use, it is necessary to facilitate the mounting of the thermal pad 11. For this purpose, it is effective to provide a mounting band on the thermal pad 11. FIG. 6 shows a home thermotherapy device 3 including a wearing band 61 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the overall configuration, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a portion A. The basic configuration of the home thermotherapy device 3 is the same as that of the home thermotherapy device 1 of the first embodiment, and the differences will be mainly described below.

  The home thermotherapy device 3 is a home thermotherapy device including a wearing band 61. The attachment band 61 is not fixed to the thermal pad 11 and is detachable from the thermal pad 11. In the thermal pad 11 shown here, the storage cover 35 is made of a cloth having a loop surface that can hook the hook of the hook-and-loop fastener, and hook-and-loop fasteners 62 having hooks are attached to both ends of the mounting band 61. The mounting band 61 can be fixed to the thermal pad 11 by engaging the surface fastener 62 of the mounting band 61 with the storage cover 35.

  An example of a cloth having a loop surface on which a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener can be locked is Toy Cloth (registered trademark). In the home thermotherapy device 3, the entire storage cover 35 is made of a cloth having a loop surface that can be hooked with a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener, but one side of the storage cover 35 or a part of the storage cover 35 is hook-and-loop fastener. The hook may be made of a cloth having a loop surface that can be locked. For the attachment band 61, a rubber string or a rubber band may be used.

  7 to 9 show a state in which the thermal pad 11 of the home thermal treatment device 3 is attached to the affected part. The test subject is an adult male. 7A shows an example in which the thermal pad 11 is attached to the waist, and FIG. 7B shows an example in which the thermal pad 11 is attached to the scapula portion of the back. 7 (c) and 7 (d) are examples in which the thermal pad 11 is attached from the back to the shoulder, FIG. 7 (c) is a view from the back side, and FIG. 7 (d) is from the chest side. FIG. In FIGS. 7A to 7D, the thermal pad 11 is attached from above the underwear (underwear). The mounting band 61 used is a long rubber cord, and the number of the bands is one or two.

  8A shows an example in which the thermal pad 11 is attached to the knee, FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C to the elbow, and FIG. 8D to the ankle. FIGS. 9A and 9B are examples in which a thermal pad 11 smaller than the thermal pad 11 used in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used and the thermal pad 11 is attached to the ankle and wrist. 8 and 9, two or three rubber bands that are stronger and shorter than the band used in FIG. 7 are used for the wearing band 61, and the thermal pad 11 is directly attached on the skin.

  In order to properly attach the thermal pad 11 to the affected area, it is necessary to change the expansion / contraction strength, length, number of use, etc. of the wearing band 61 according to the position of the affected area. If the wearing band 61 is of a type that is fixed to the thermal pad 11, basically, the expansion / contraction strength, length, number of use, etc. of the wearing band cannot be changed according to the position of the affected part. On the other hand, in the home thermotherapy device 3 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the storage cover 35 is made of a cloth having a loop surface that can be hooked with a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener, Since it consists of the thermal pad 11 to which the hook_and_loop | surface fastener 62 provided with a hook is attached, the thermal pad 11 can be suitably mounted | worn to an affected part as shown in FIGS.

  In the home thermotherapy device 3 shown in the third embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener is attached to the front covering material 37 covering the front surface 22 of the planar heating element 21 and the back covering material 38 covering the back surface of the heat insulating material 31. A cloth having a loop surface on which the hook can be locked is used, and this is formed into a bag shape to form a storage cover 35. A cover that covers the covering material 37 and the covering material 38 is provided separately from the covering material 37 and the covering material 38. It is also possible to use a cloth having a loop surface that can be provided and hooked to a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener on at least a part of the cover.

  Further, in order to make the home thermotherapy device easier to use, when a cover for covering the storage cover 35 or the covering material 37 and the covering material 38 is provided, the cover is made removable so that these can be further washed. preferable. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, when the thermal pad 11 is used so that the thermal pad 11 is in direct contact with the skin, the household thermal therapy device becomes dirty due to long-term use. By removing the covers covering the storage cover 35 and the covering materials 37 and 38 and making them washable, they can be used in a clean state forever.

  In order to make the storage cover 35 or the cover that covers the covering material 37 and the covering material 38 detachable, a detachable connector such as a line fastener, a button, or a hook may be provided on one side thereof.

  Furthermore, in order to make this home thermotherapy device easier to use, the shape of the thermal pad 11 may be a three-dimensional curved three-dimensional shape. The thermal pad 11 shown above has flexibility and flexibility so that it can be closely attached to the curved surface of the body to be worn, but there is a limit to the adhesion to the curved surface having a small radius of curvature. is there. If the shape of the thermal pad 11 is a thermal pad 11 having a three-dimensional shape curved in a three-dimensional direction from before mounting, it is easy to adhere to a curved surface having a small curvature radius.

  FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the three-dimensional curved thermal pad 71 of the present invention. For example, to make a three-dimensional curved thermal pad 71 covering the hemisphere of the head or kneecap, planar heating elements 72 as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C are alternately connected (a). A thermal pad 71 having a three-dimensional curved surface as shown in FIG. The electric wire body 27 of the heating element 72 can be connected in series or in parallel, and a desired resistance value can be obtained.

  Tables 1 and 2 show examples of the home thermotherapy device of the present invention and the impressions of the monitor using the home thermotherapy device. The basic configuration of the prototyped home thermotherapy device is the same as that of the home thermotherapy device of the first embodiment.

Felt (nonwoven fabric) having elasticity of 105 mm in length, 105 mm in width, and 3 mm in thickness (about 2 mm when compressed) is used for the core material 24, and a diameter of 0.3 mm and a length of about 2 m are used for the heating element (heating wire) 27. A stainless steel wire was used. The heat insulating material 31 was quilted with a thickness of about 7 mm (approx. 3 mm when compressed), and the covering material 37 was a cotton cloth with a thickness of about 0.2 mm. The AC adapter 42 used was a switching power supply (Akizuki Dentsu Co., Ltd., model AD-D50P100) with an output of 5V and 1A. At this time, the heat generation amount was about 1.1 W, and the heat generation per area of the heating surface of the planar heating element 21 was about 1 W / dm ² .

  The heating wire 27 was arranged in a spiral shape (see FIG. 2) on the front surface 25 of the core material, and this was fixed with a thread 28. The space | interval of the adjacent heating wire 27 is about 5.0 mm. The end portion of the heating wire 27 penetrates the core material 24 and is fixed to the lead wire 29 and the crimping sleeve on the back surface 26 of the core material. Thereby, the planar heating element 21 was obtained. Three sides of the peripheral portions of the heat insulating material 31 and the covering material 37 were formed into a sewing bag shape, and the planar heating element 21 was inserted into this, and finally the remaining one side was sewn to obtain the thermal pad 11.

  The size of the thermal pad 11 was 115 mm in length and 115 mm in width, and the thickness was about 10 mm when no load was applied, and about 4 mm when the load was crushed.

  The monitor is 10 men in their 50s and 70s. The affected area is shoulder, elbow, waist, knee, upper arm, wrist, spinal cord, and the name of the disease is stiffness, coldness, knee pain, swelling, rheumatism, neuropathy, low back pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain. As a method of use, it was used for about 7 hours during sleep, almost every day for 4 days to 3 months.

  The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2. By using this home thermotherapy device, half of the symptoms were completely cured, and all other symptoms improved. About the thermal pad, the evaluation that the size, thickness, temperature and softness were good was obtained from everyone.

Measurement of skin temperature The skin temperature when using the home thermotherapy device 3 was measured in the following manner. As the home thermal treatment tool 3, a thermal pad 11 having a heating surface size of 95 mm × 210 mm and a thermal output of 1.9 W was used. The affected part was the flank, and two thermocouples were directly attached and fixed on the skin of the flank with adhesive tape. The position of the temperature sensing part of the thermocouple was set to the position of the center of the heating pad 11 to be put on. The thermal pad 11 was directly fixed on the skin of the flank so as to cover the two thermocouples using an attachment band 61 made of a rubber cord, and an undergarment was put on. Moreover, in order to measure the skin temperature of the part which is not heated, the thermocouple was fixed with the adhesive tape on the skin of the position away from the thermal pad 11.

In the above-mentioned wearing state, continuous temperature measurement was performed for 5 hours in a normal way of sleeping. The measurement results are shown in FIG.
It was shown to. The horizontal axis is time h, the vertical axis is temperature ° C, black is center right, red is center left, and blue is each skin temperature without heating. The skin temperature without heating shows 36 ° C., and the skin temperature of the heating part shows approximately 39 ° C. to 40 ° C. for both points. It is presumed that the temperature fluctuates due to rolling or the like, and the contact state / heat transfer state between the thermocouple and the skin, the adhesive tape to which the thermocouple is attached, and the thermal pad 11 changes. Although warmth was felt for a while after the start of this measurement, it was only felt or not felt during sleep, and there was no sense of incongruity during or after the measurement.

Methods of clinical trials using clinical thermotherapy devices and results of clinical trials Methods of clinical trials The subjects of clinical trials are adults with symptoms such as low back pain, knee pain, and stiff shoulders that are not fully effective with conventional treatment. It is. We distributed thermotherapy devices for home use to the investigators and asked them to use them at each home. Note that the tabulation excludes those with a usage period of less than 2 weeks and a usage frequency of less than once every 5 days. The number of subjects was 18 from March 2014 to the end of September. All of them responded to the questionnaire using home thermotherapy devices without any problems.

  The results are shown in Tables 3, 4 and 5. Table 3 shows the usage status. 15 people out of 18 use for a long time of 5 hours or more, 15 people use almost every day, and 14 people continue for more than 1 month. There is no doubt that this can be done because it is a warming treatment during sleep, and it proves that warming during sleep is practically indispensable for long-term, high-frequency, long-term treatment. It can be said that.

  Table 4 shows the results of impressions on warming. As shown in Table 4, none of the patients discontinued the trial due to symptoms such as burns. Since there was a sense of incongruity, there were three people who continued to use the device by putting underwear between the thermal pad 11 and the skin. These persons used the large-sized thermal pad 11 (2.2 W) in a place where heat such as the waist is easily generated. This sense of incongruity has been solved by the device, but in consideration of safety, a large pad 1.9W was manufactured for these places. From the above results, it can be said that the home thermotherapy device used in this clinical trial can be heated without causing low-temperature burns.

Results of Medical Effects Table 5 shows the evaluation of the effects obtained by the questionnaire of 18 subjects of the study subjects. As shown in Table 5, 13 people who were very effective, and 3 people who felt the effect a little, were effective in 16 out of 18 people (89%), and no one got worse. It is possible to judge that there is a very good medical effect because the subjects who have had some medical problems and the symptoms do not improve are the subjects of the trial.

  The three patients with rheumatism in Table 5 are patient K with swelling on the wrist, patient L with swelling on the back of the knee joint, and M with swelling on the ankle. Patient L is 8 years. During this time, there was no improvement even if the progression of symptoms was delayed by taking medication. All three have shown a clear improvement in symptoms using a home thermotherapy device.

  Patient K started using the home thermotherapy device 3 from March. 12 (a) is an image of the affected area on February 25, FIG. 12 (b) is an image of the affected area on May 5, and FIG. 12 (c) is an image of the affected area on September 23. In Fig. 12 (a), two small swollen swellings can be confirmed on the right side of the bean bone. In FIG. 12 (b), this nodule disappears, and in FIG. 12 (c), it can be seen that the whole is swollen. However, a small lump is confirmed when palpating even in October.

  Patient L started using a home thermotherapy device from the beginning of August at the recommendation of patient K. The pain decreased after 1 week of use, and the symptoms worsened once or twice a month. In addition to the usual dose, I was taking 3-4 times that of prezonizolone, but I should stop taking this increased dose It is done. Patient L has testified that the tendon on the back side of the knee has swelled and the skin is wrinkled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Household heat treatment tool 2 Household heat treatment tool 3 Household heat treatment tool 11 Heat pad 12 Heating surface 13 Heat insulation surface 21 Surface heating element 22 Front surface 23 of a surface heating element The surface on the back of a surface heating element 24 Core material 25 Front surface of core material 26 Rear surface of core material 27 Heating element, heating wire 28 Thread 29 Lead wire 31 Heat insulating material 35 Storage cover 37 Cover material 38 Cover material 41 Power supply means 42 AC adapter 43 Power cord 44 connector 45 AC adapter 51 temperature control device 53 temperature sensor 61 wearing band 62 hook-and-loop fastener 71 thermal pad 72 heating element

Claims (13)

A sheet-like heating element that has an electric heating element arranged approximately evenly on one or both sides of the sheet-like core material and generates heat upon receiving power supply; and a heat insulating material that insulates the back surface of the sheet-like heating element; A thermal pad comprising a covering material covering the front surface of the planar heating element, and a covering material covering the back surface of the heat insulating material;
Power supply means for supplying power to the planar heating element,
A home thermotherapy device that is worn on the body and warms the affected area through the thermal pad,
The heat pad is a heat generated by a constant voltage power source capable of continuously heating the affected area for a long time without causing a low temperature burn at a calorific value or in use, and in a state where this heat pad is worn on the body, A home thermotherapy device characterized by its size, thickness, and flexibility that allows it to sleep or perform daily work without a sense of incongruity.   The home thermotherapy device according to claim 1, wherein an AC adapter is used for the constant voltage power source.   3. The household thermal treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal pad is a thermal pad that is heated at a constant temperature instead of heat generation by the constant voltage power source.   A thermotherapy device for home use that is heated at a constant temperature and includes a temperature control device that controls a temperature of a heating surface of the heating pad to a predetermined temperature, and the heating pad is controlled to a constant temperature. 4. The home thermotherapy device according to claim 3, wherein the set temperature is 42 ° C. or lower. The temperature control device includes a sensor that detects a temperature attached to the thermal pad,
5. The home thermotherapy device according to claim 4, wherein when the affected part is heated via the thermal pad, the temperature sensitive part of the sensor is pressed against the affected part side. The heating pad has a heating surface size of 50 to 350 cm ² of the planar heating element, a thickness of 12 mm or less when used as an underlay of the body, and has no irregularities and solids that give a sense of discomfort to the body. It is formed, The domestic thermotherapy tool of any one of Claim 1 to 5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The household thermotherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electric heating body is made of a stainless steel material having flexibility that can be easily bent by hand.   8. The heat insulating material according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating material has a cushioning property, and compresses when a load is applied, and heat conductivity increases after compression as compared with before compression. Household thermotherapy device.   The said planar heating element is comprised by the developable surface which bent and connected the several planar heating element, and is an approximate three-dimensional curved surface, In any one of Claim 1 to 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. The home thermotherapy device described. A bag body is formed of a covering material that covers the front surface and a covering material that covers the back surface of the heat insulating material, and the planar heating element and the heat insulating material are stored in the bag body so as to be freely inserted and removed. ,
The home thermotherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein all or part of the bag body has a loop surface to which a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener can be locked. Furthermore, a cover for covering the covering material covering the front surface and the covering material covering the back surface of the heat insulating material,
The domestic thermotherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cover has a loop surface on which a hook of a hook-and-loop fastener can be locked.   The thermal therapy device for home use according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a covering material and / or the heat insulating material for covering a back surface of the heat insulating material is omitted. Heating value of the planar heating element, 2.5 W / dm ² or less the area of the heating surface of the planar heating element as a reference, and claims 1, characterized in that it is 0.7 W / dm ² or more 12 The thermal treatment tool for home use according to any one of the above.