KR102625892B1 - Acupuncture having laser treated area and using method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a needle including a laser processing unit and a method of using the same.
The needle according to the present invention includes a body; a guide coupled to the body so as to be movable within the body; a needle detachably coupled to the guide and formed as a laser processing portion with a rounded end; and a spring coupled to the body and guide.
According to the present invention, it is impossible for the recipient to distinguish whether the needle being treated is a real needle or a false needle, thereby ensuring a more complete double-blind state, and the laser processing unit reduces the pain during the procedure, thereby stabilizing the needle. Stimulation and maintenance are possible.

Description

Acupuncture needle including a laser processing part and method of using the same {ACUPUNCTURE HAVING LASER TREATED AREA AND USING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention is a needle including a laser processing part and a method of using the same. More specifically, the end of the needle is laser processed, so that, unlike regular needles, pain from insertion is reduced during acupuncture treatment, enabling stable stimulation and maintenance of the needle. This relates to acupuncture that can be used in a double-blind test along with false acupuncture to objectively prove the effectiveness of acupuncture and how to use it.

Acupuncture is a treatment that has been practiced in East Asia, including Korea, Japan, and China, for over 2,000 years. As interest in and use of acupuncture's clinical effects increases, attempts to scientifically interpret its mode of action and mechanism are also gradually increasing.

Therefore, the need for objective evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture is being emphasized, and accordingly, evidence-based clinical studies of acupuncture treatment based on randomized controlled trials to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture have begun to increase.

In early acupuncture clinical studies, when setting up a control group, existing treatment or no treatment groups for each disease were used and compared with the acupuncture treatment group. However, as arguments were raised that the placebo phenomenon should be excluded when verifying the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment, various types of false acupuncture began to be used as a control group.

However, existing false acupuncture treatments do not properly blind the recipients, so there are many cases where the recipients are unable to recognize whether the needles they are receiving are fake or real needles, making it difficult to conduct a proper randomized control trial.

Meanwhile, conventional acupuncture needles generally have sharply processed ends, which has the problem of causing pain upon insertion.

Additionally, conventional needles were not maintained stably when inserted into the skin and often came off.

Korea Intellectual Property Office Application No. 10-2015-0189382

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and to provide a needle and a method of using the same that make it impossible for a person receiving treatment to distinguish with the naked eye whether the needle being treated is a real needle or a false needle.

In particular, it is difficult for practitioners to determine which needles are real and which are false, so the aim is to provide needles and a method of using them that can secure a more complete double-blind condition.

Additionally, the present invention is intended to reduce pain upon insertion by rounding the end of the needle through laser processing.

Additionally, the present invention is intended to provide needles that can be stably maintained when inserted into the skin.

The needle including the laser processing unit of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art described above has the following configuration.

body;

a guide coupled to the body so as to be movable within the body;

A needle detachably coupled to the guide and formed as a laser processing portion with a rounded end; and

A spring coupled to the body and guide.

The body is made of a hollow body, and the material is preferably synthetic resin. The bottom of the body is closed except for the part where the needle passes. The upper part of the body is open, and the guide is coupled to this part. On the inner wall of the body, a locking portion is formed along the circumference to restrict the movement of the guide and prevent the guide from being separated. In addition, it is preferable that a ring-shaped spring coupling groove is formed at the bottom of the body to facilitate coupling of the spring. In addition, it is preferable that an extension protrudes outward in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the bottom of the body is formed at the bottom of the body to increase the contact area with the skin to enable stable attachment.

The guide is preferably cylindrical and made of synthetic resin. The guide includes an outer wall, a spring attachment and a central body. At the lower outer portion of the outer wall, a protrusion that can be combined with a locking portion of the inner wall of the body is formed along the circumference.

It is preferable that the spring mounting portion is formed coaxially between the outer wall of the guide and the central body. The spring mounting portion consists of a space formed between the outer wall of the guide and the central body. Additionally, a needle mounting groove into which a needle can be inserted and coupled is formed on the upper part of the central body of the guide. A guide of this configuration can be inserted into the body and move within the body.

Meanwhile, it is preferable that the central body of the guide be formed with a needle support insertion portion to which a needle support, which will be described later, is coupled. It is preferable that the needle support body insertion portion is formed as a cone-shaped space that widens toward the bottom to facilitate coupling of the needle support body. It is more preferable that a needle insertion groove into which the upper part of the needle is inserted is formed at the top of the needle support insertion portion. In order to allow independent movement of the needle inserted into the needle insertion groove, it is recommended that the diameter be slightly larger than the diameter of the needle. The needle support body descends together with other parts of the guide when the guide is pressed, but does not move when the guide rises and remains spaced apart from the needle support insertion portion.

The needle is made of metal and preferably includes a blunt, i.e. round, laser-processed portion at the end to prevent damage to skin tissue.

The end of the needle is melted by a laser and then cooled. In the molten state, the end of the needle is in a liquid state, unlike other parts in a solid state, so it takes on a round shape due to surface tension. When cooled in this state, the end of the needle solidifies while maintaining its round shape, forming a laser processing part.

The needle is coupled to the guide while being coupled to the needle support. The needle support body is formed as a cone-shaped solid body, and a needle penetration portion into which the needle is inserted is formed in the center.

The needle is fixedly inserted into the needle penetration groove of the needle support body, and the upper end is inserted into the needle insertion groove of the guide central body. At this time, the needle is preferably of a length that allows it to be inserted into the skin from the bottom of the needle support body through the through hole at the bottom when the guide is pressed.

The spring is inserted into the spring mounting part of the guide. The lower end of the spring is inserted into the spring coupling groove of the body, and the upper end of the spring contacts the inner surface of the upper spring mounting portion of the guide. The material of the spring is not specified and can be made of metal, synthetic resin, etc.

Meanwhile, an adhesive sheet may be attached to the bottom of the body to ensure that it is stably fixed to the skin during the acupuncture treatment of the present invention. The adhesive sheet has a release paper attached, so during the procedure, the release paper is removed and brought into contact with the skin.

Meanwhile, the present invention provides a method of using a needle including a laser processing unit of the above-described configuration, which consists of the following steps.

A step where the guide is lowered within the body by pressure from the operator;

A step in which the needle coupled to the guide is lowered together with the guide and inserted into the skin of the person receiving the treatment;

Returning the guide to its original position according to the restoring force of the spring when the operator releases pressure; and

Maintaining the needle inserted into the skin.

According to the needle including the laser processing unit of the present invention and the method of using the same, when the operator presses the upper part of the guide, the guide descends and the lower end of the needle coupled to the guide comes into contact with the skin of the person being treated, providing a sensation of pain.

In this state, when the operator releases the hand pressing the guide and releases the pressure, the guide returns to its original position due to the elasticity of the spring. However, since the needle support body and the needle are separated from the guide, they remain inserted into the skin. And this movement occurs inside the needle and cannot be confirmed from the outside. Therefore, not only the recipient but also the operator cannot confirm whether the needle was actually inserted or not, so a double-blind test can be conducted.

The acupuncture needle and its use method according to the present invention have the following effects.

It is impossible for the recipient to distinguish whether the needle he or she is receiving is a real needle or a false needle, which has the effect of providing complete blinding in a randomized controlled trial. In addition, it is difficult for the operator to determine which needle is the real needle and which is the fake needle, thus ensuring a more complete double-blind state.

Additionally, damage to skin tissue can be prevented by forming the end of the needle into a round shape through laser processing.

In addition, the needle can be kept stable, making a safe procedure possible.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a needle including a laser processing portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the needle shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a photograph showing the end of a needle laser processed according to an embodiment of the present invention compared with the end of a conventional needle.
Figure 4 is a flowchart explaining a method of using acupuncture needles according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the needle of Figure 1 placed on the skin of the person being treated.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the needle in a state in which the guide in Figure 5 is pressed.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the needle in a state in which the guide in Figure 5 is returned.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Since the present invention can make various changes and take various forms, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a needle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the needle shown in Figure 1.

The needle 10 according to this embodiment includes a body 100, a guide 200, a needle 300, a spring 400, and an adhesive sheet 500.

The body 100 is made of a hollow body and is made of synthetic resin. A through hole 112 through which the needle 300 passes is formed in the bottom 110 of the body 100. The upper part of the body 100 is open and the center is empty, and the guide 200 is coupled to this part. To facilitate coupling and movement of the guide 200, the body 100 is formed to have a diameter that widens toward the bottom. A locking portion 122 is formed along the circumference of the inner wall of the body 100 to prevent the guide 200 from being separated. In addition, a ring-shaped spring coupling groove 130 is formed on the bottom 110 of the body 100 to facilitate coupling of the spring 400. In addition, an extension portion 114 protruding in the circumferential direction is formed on the bottom 110 of the body 100 to increase the contact surface with the skin to enable stable contact.

Meanwhile, an adhesive sheet 500 is attached to the bottom of the bottom 110 of the body 100. The adhesive sheet 500 has a disk shape with an empty portion through which the needle 300 passes. Release paper is attached to the adhesive sheet 500. A handle portion 510 is formed on the release paper to facilitate separation from the adhesive sheet 500.

The guide 200 is a part that the operator presses and guides the movement of the needle 300 and has a cylindrical shape. The material of the guide 200 is not limited and is synthetic resin in this embodiment. The guide 200 includes an outer wall 210, a spring mounting portion 220, and a central body 230. The guide 200 is formed to have a diameter that widens toward the bottom to facilitate insertion into the body 100 and movement within the body 100.

The outer wall 210 of the guide 200 is a part inserted into the body 100. A protrusion 212 that can be coupled to the locking portion 122 of the inner wall of the body 100 is formed along the circumference of the lower outer portion of the outer wall 210.

The spring mounting portion 220 is a space into which the spring 400 is inserted, and is a space formed in a concentric circle between the outer wall 210 and the central body 230.

The central body 230 is cylindrical and extends from the top to the bottom of the guide 200. The central body 230 is formed coaxially and spaced apart from the outer wall 210 with the spring mounting portion 220 interposed therebetween. A needle support insertion portion 232 to which the needle support 310 is coupled is formed in the central body 230. The needle support insertion portion 232 is a space formed in a cone shape that widens toward the bottom to easily and stably accommodate the needle support 310. A needle insertion groove 234 into which the top of the needle 300 is inserted is formed at the top of the needle support insertion portion 232, preventing the needle 300 from being crooked or shaking. The needle insertion groove 234 is formed with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the needle 300 to enable independent movement of the inserted needle 300.

The guide 200 of this configuration can be inserted into the body 100 and move with respect to the body. However, the needle 300 descends together with other parts of the guide 200 when the guide 200 is pressed, but does not move when the guide 200 rises and is spaced apart from the needle support insertion portion 232 and touches the skin. Maintain a locked-in state.

The needle 300 is made of metal, preferably stainless steel. The needle 300 is inserted into the central body 230 of the guide 200 together with the needle support body 310 and moves as one body with the guide 200. The needle 300 is formed as a laser processing part with a blunt end, that is, rounded, so as not to damage skin tissue. For this purpose, the end of the needle 300 is melted by a laser and then cooled. In a molten state, the end of the needle 300 is in a liquid state, unlike the upper part in a solid state, so it has a round shape due to surface tension. The type of laser used at this time is not particularly limited, and any laser that can melt the end of the needle is sufficient. When cooled in this state, the end of the needle 300 is solidified in that state and becomes a laser processing part of the shape shown on the left side of FIG. 3. That is, the end is rounded compared to the conventional needle shown on the right side of Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 5, the needle 300 is coupled to the needle support body 310. The needle support body 310 is formed as a cone-shaped solid body, and a needle penetrating portion 312 is formed in the center of the needle support body 310 so that the needle 300 is inserted and supported. The needle support 310 maintains the movement of the needle 300 stably. The length of the needle 300 is such that it can be inserted into the skin through the through hole 112 of the bottom 110 when the guide 200 is pressed.

The spring 400 is provided to return the guide 200 to its original position after pressure is applied to the guide 200 and the procedure is performed. The material of the spring 400 is not limited and may be made of metal or synthetic resin. The spring 400 is fitted into the spring mounting portion 220 of the guide 200. One end of the spring 400 is located in the spring coupling groove 130 formed in the bottom 110 of the body 100, and the other end is supported by the upper inner wall of the spring mounting portion 220 of the guide 200.

The spring 400 of this configuration is stably supported inside the needle 10 and provides resistance to the lowering of the guide 200 and a restoring force for returning to its original state after the procedure.

Hereinafter, the method of using the needle of the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 4.

The method of using a needle in this embodiment includes a step (S100) in which the guide is lowered within the body 100 by pressure from the operator, and the needle 300 coupled to the guide is lowered together with the guide 200 and inserted into the skin of the operator. A step (S200), a step of returning the guide 200 to its original position according to the restoring force of the spring 400 when the operator releases pressure (S300), and a step of maintaining the needle 300 inserted into the skin (S400) ) is composed of.

To explain each step, first, the release paper attached to the adhesive sheet 500 is removed from the handle portion 510 and the adhesive sheet 500 is attached to the skin of the person receiving the treatment. Then, when the operator presses the guide 200, the guide 200 descends while compressing the spring 400 within the body 100 (S100).

Accordingly, the needle 300 coupled to the guide 200 with the needle support 310 also descends and is inserted into the skin of the person receiving the treatment (S200).

Afterwards, when the operator releases the force pressing the guide 200, the guide 200 rises and returns to its original position due to the elasticity of the pressed spring 400 (S300). The guide 200 does not separate from the body 100 because the protrusion 212 is caught by the catching portion 122 of the body 100. At this time, the needle support 310 and the needle 300 coupled thereto are inserted into the skin while being separated from the guide 200, specifically, the needle support insertion portion 232 of the guide 200 by coupling with the skin. Maintain (S400).

Hereinafter, the operation of the needle 10 of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

In Figure 5, the needle 10 from which the release paper has been removed is placed on the skin of the person being treated by bringing the adhesive sheet 500 into contact with the person being treated.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 6, when the guide 200 descends, the needle 300 also descends and is inserted into the skin.

In this state, when the operator releases the pressing force by releasing the guide 200, the guide 200 rises due to the action of the spring 400 and returns to its original position as shown in FIG. 5. However, the needle support 310 and the needle 300 coupled thereto are not integrally coupled with the guide 200, but are simply inserted into the needle support insertion portion 232 of the guide 200, as shown in Figure 7. Likewise, it does not move even when the guide 200 rises. That is, it is separated from the needle support insertion portion 232 and remains inserted into the skin.

Since this process is not visible from the outside, neither the recipient nor the operator can confirm whether the needle of the present invention is a fake needle or a real needle. Therefore, when using a false needle that has the same appearance as the needle 10 of the present invention, but the needle 300 does not insert into the skin and returns integrally with the guide 200, which needle is actually inserted and which needle is inserted into the skin? It is possible to provide a perfect blinding effect as it is impossible to distinguish between the patient and the operator as to whether or not the injection has been inserted, making it possible to implement an accurate double-blind test.

10: needle 100: body
110: bottom 112: through hole
114: extension part 122: catching part
130: Spring coupling groove 200: Guide
210: outer wall 212: protrusion
220: spring mounting portion 230: central body
232: Needle support insertion portion 234: Needle insertion groove
300: Needle 310: Needle support
312: needle penetrating part 400: spring
500: Adhesive sheet 510: Handle part

Claims (8)

body;
A guide coupled to the body so as to be movable within the body and including an outer wall, a central body formed concentrically with the outer wall, and a spring mounting portion formed between the outer wall and the central body;
A needle whose end is formed as a round laser processing part;
a needle support body detachably coupled to the central body of the guide and into which the needle is inserted; and
Includes a spring coupled to the body and guide,
A needle including a laser processing unit, wherein a locking portion is formed along the circumference on the inner wall of the body, and a protrusion that can be coupled to the locking portion is formed along the circumference on the outer wall of the guide.
delete delete delete In claim 1,
The body includes a bottom and a spring coupling groove formed concentrically on the bottom, and the lower end of the spring is inserted into the spring coupling groove of the body and the upper end is in contact with the upper inner surface of the spring mounting portion. A needle containing a processing part.
In claim 1,
A needle including a laser processing portion, wherein an extension protruding outward in the circumferential direction is formed at the bottom of the body.
In claim 1,
A needle including a laser processing unit, wherein an adhesive sheet is coupled to the bottom of the body.
delete

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