KR20230086190A - 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 acupuncture 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 unit having a round end; and a spring coupled to the body and the guide.
According to the present invention, it is impossible for the person to be operated on to distinguish between a real needle and a false needle, so a more complete double-blind state can be secured, and the laser processing unit reduces the pain of needle insertion during the procedure so that the needle is stable. can be stimulated and maintained.

Description

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

The present invention is a needle including a laser processing unit and a method of using the same, and more specifically, the end of the needle is laser processed, thereby reducing the pain of needle insertion during acupuncture, unlike ordinary acupuncture needles, enabling stable stimulation and maintenance of the needle. It relates to a needle that can be used in a double-blind test together with a sham needle to objectively prove the effect of acupuncture and a method of using the same.

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

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

In the initial clinical study of acupuncture treatment, when setting up a control group, the existing treatment or no treatment group for each disease was used and compared with the acupuncture treatment group. However, as the claim that the placebo phenomenon should be excluded when verifying the effect of acupuncture treatment was raised, various types of false acupuncture began to be used as a control group.

However, the conventional false acupuncture did not properly blind the recipient, so there were many cases in which the recipient could recognize whether the acupuncture they were receiving was false or real, making it difficult to conduct a proper randomized control experiment.

On the other hand, conventional acupuncture needles are generally sharpened at the end of the needle, causing pain during insertion.

In addition, conventional acupuncture needles are often separated without being stably maintained in a state where they are inserted into the skin.

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

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide an acupuncture needle and a method of using the same, in which a person undergoing treatment cannot distinguish whether the acupuncture needle is a real needle or a false needle with the naked eye.

In particular, the present invention is to provide acupuncture and a method of using the acupuncture needle capable of securing a more complete double-blind state since it is difficult for an operator to ascertain which is a real needle or a false needle.

In addition, the present invention is to reduce the pain upon insertion by laser processing the end of the needle to make it round.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a needle that can be stably maintained in a state of being inserted into the skin.

A needle including a laser processing unit of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art described above is composed of 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 unit having a round end; and

A spring coupled to the body and the guide.

The body is made of a hollow body, and the material is preferably synthetic resin. The bottom part of the body is closed except for the part through which the needle passes. The upper part of the body is open, and a guide is coupled to this part. On the inner wall of the body, a locking portion is formed along the circumference to prevent the guide from being separated by limiting the movement of the guide. 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 part protruding outward in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the bottom part is formed on the bottom part of the body so that the contact area with the skin is increased so that it can be stably attached.

The guide is preferably made of a cylindrical shape and made of synthetic resin. The guide includes an outer wall, a spring mount and a core body. A protrusion that can be engaged with the engaging portion of the inner wall of the body is formed along the circumference of the outer portion of the lower end of the outer wall.

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

On the other hand, it is preferable that a needle supporter insertion portion to which a needle supporter to be described later is coupled is formed in the center body of the guide. It is preferable that the needle supporter insertion portion is formed as a conical space that widens as it goes downward, so that the needle supporter can be easily coupled. It is more preferable that a needle insertion groove into which an upper portion of the needle is inserted is formed at an upper end of the needle supporter insertion portion. It is preferable that the diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the needle to allow independent movement of the needle inserted into the needle insertion groove. The needle supporter descends together with other parts of the guide when the guide is pressed, but does not move when the guide ascends, maintaining a spaced apart state from the needle supporter insertion portion.

The needle is made of metal, and preferably includes a blunt end, that is, a round laser processing part so as not to damage skin tissue.

The end of the needle is melted by the laser and then cooled. In the molten state, the tip of the needle is in a liquid state unlike other parts in a solid state, so it becomes round due to surface tension. When cooled in this state, the end of the needle is solidified while maintaining a round shape, and is formed as a laser processing part.

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

The upper end of the needle is inserted into the needle insertion groove of the guide center body in a state where the needle is fixedly inserted into the needle through hole of the needle supporter. At this time, the needle is preferably of a length that can be inserted into the skin from the bottom of the needle supporter through the through-hole at the bottom when the guide is pressed.

The spring is fitted into the spring mounting portion 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 comes into contact with the inner surface of the upper part of the spring mounting part of the guide. The material of the spring is not specified and may be made of metal or synthetic resin.

Meanwhile, an adhesive sheet may be coupled to the bottom of the body to be stably fixed to the skin during the acupuncture procedure of the present invention. A release paper is attached to the adhesive sheet, and the release paper is removed during the procedure and brought into contact with the skin.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a method of using a needle including a laser processing unit having the above-described configuration consisting of the following steps.

lowering the guide within the body by the operator's pressure;

A step in which the needle coupled to the guide descends with the guide and is inserted into the skin of the person being treated;

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

Maintaining a state in which the needle is inserted into the skin.

According to the needle including the laser processing unit and the method of using the needle of the present invention having such a configuration, 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 to be operated on to provide a sense of relief.

In this state, when the operator removes the hand holding the guide to release the pressure, the guide returns to its original position due to the elasticity of the spring. However, since the needle support and the needle are separated from the guide, they remain inserted into the skin. And this action takes place inside the needle and cannot be confirmed from the outside. Therefore, neither the subject nor the operator can confirm whether or not the needle is actually inserted, so a double-blind test can be performed.

According to the acupuncture needle and its use method according to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

Since it is impossible for the recipient to distinguish whether the acupuncture needle they receive is a real needle or a false needle, there is an effect of providing perfect blinding in a randomized control experiment. In addition, it is difficult for the operator to determine which is a real needle and which is a false needle, so a more complete double-blind state can be secured.

In addition, since the end of the needle is formed round by laser processing, damage to skin tissue can be prevented.

In addition, since the needle can be stably maintained, a safe procedure is possible.

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

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

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

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

A 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 the material is synthetic resin. A through hole 112 through which the needle 300 passes is formed in the bottom portion 110 of the body 100 . The upper part of the body 100 is open and the center is empty, so 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 wider diameter as it goes downward. A hooking 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 in the bottom portion 110 of the body 100 to facilitate coupling of the spring 400 . In addition, the extension part 114 protruding in the circumferential direction is formed on the bottom part 110 of the body 100, thereby increasing the contact surface with the skin to enable stable contact.

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

The guide 200 guides the movement of the needle 300 as a part pressed by the operator and is configured in 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 wider diameter as it goes downward to facilitate insertion into the body 100 and movement within the body 100 .

The outer wall 210 of the guide 200 is a portion inserted into the body 100. A protrusion 212 that can be engaged with the hooking 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 concentrically formed between the outer wall 210 and the center body 230 .

The center body 230 has a cylindrical shape and extends from the top to the bottom of the guide 200 . The center body 230 is spaced apart from the outer wall 210 with the spring mounting portion 220 therebetween and formed coaxially. A needle supporter insertion portion 232 to which the needle supporter 310 is coupled is formed in the center body 230 . The needle supporter insertion portion 232 is a space formed in a conical shape that widens as it goes downward to accommodate the needle supporter 310 easily and stably. A needle insertion groove 234 into which the upper end of the needle 300 is inserted is formed at the upper end of the needle supporter insertion part 232 to prevent the needle 300 from being twisted or shaken. 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 is inserted into the body 100 and can move relative 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 ascends, and is spaced apart from the needle supporter insertion portion 232 to the skin. remain engaged.

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

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

The spring 400 is provided to return the guide 200 to its original position after a procedure is performed by applying pressure to the guide 200 . The material of the spring 400 is not limited and may be made of metal or synthetic resin. The spring 400 is inserted 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 part 110 of the body 100, and the other end is supported by the inner wall of the upper part of the spring mounting part 220 of the guide 200.

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

Hereinafter, a method of using the needle having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 .

In the needle use method of the present embodiment, the guide descends within the body 100 by the operator's pressurization (S100), the needle 300 coupled to the guide descends together with the guide 200, and is inserted into the skin of the recipient. Step (S200), step of returning the guide 200 to its original position according to the restoring force of the spring 400 by the release of pressure by the operator (S300), step of maintaining the state in which the needle 300 is inserted into the skin (S400) ) is composed of

Each step will be described. First, the release paper attached to the adhesive sheet 500 is removed from the handle 510 and the adhesive sheet 500 is attached to the skin of the person to be treated. Subsequently, 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 with the needle support 310 to the guide 200 also descends and is inserted into the skin of the person to be treated (S200).

Then, when the operator cancels the pressing force on the guide 200, the guide 200 rises due to the elasticity of the pressed spring 400 and returns to its original position (S300). The guide 200 does not escape from the body 100 because the protruding portion 212 is caught on the hooking portion 122 of the body 100 . At this time, the needle supporter 310 and the needle 300 coupled thereto are inserted into the skin while being spaced apart from the guide 200, specifically, the needle supporter insertion portion 232 of the guide 200 by coupling with the skin. Maintain (S400).

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

In FIG. 5 , the needle 10 from which the release paper is removed is placed on the skin of the person to be treated by bringing the adhesive sheet 500 into contact with the person to be treated.

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

In this state, when the operator removes his/her hand from the guide 200 to release the pressing force, the guide 200 rises by the action of the spring 400 and returns to the original position as shown in FIG. 5 . However, since the needle supporter 310 and the needle 300 coupled thereto are not integrally coupled with the guide 200, but simply inserted into the needle supporter insertion portion 232 of the guide 200, as shown in FIG. As such, it does not move even when the guide 200 rises. That is, it is separated while being spaced apart from the needle supporter insertion part 232 and maintains a state of insertion into the skin.

Since this process is not visible from the outside, neither the person to be treated nor the operator can confirm whether the acupuncture needle of the present invention is a false acupuncture needle or a real needle. Therefore, when a false acupuncture needle 300 has the same appearance as the acupuncture needle 10 of the present invention but returns integrally with the guide 200 without being inserted into the skin, which needle is actually inserted and which needle is Since it is impossible to distinguish between the subject and the operator whether or not it has been injected, it is possible to provide a perfect blinding effect, enabling an accurate double-blind test to be implemented.

10: needle 100: body
110: bottom part 112: through hole
114: extension part 122: hooking part
130: spring coupling groove 200: guide
210: outer wall 212: protrusion
220: spring mounting portion 230: center body
232: needle supporter insertion part 234: needle insertion groove
300: needle 310: needle support
312: needle penetration 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;
a needle detachably coupled to the guide and formed as a laser processing unit having a round end; and
A needle comprising a laser processing unit, characterized in that it comprises a spring coupled to the body and the guide.
The method of claim 1,
A needle comprising a laser processing unit, characterized in that a hooking part is formed along the circumference of the inner wall of the body, and a protrusion that can be coupled to the hooking part is formed along the circumference of the outer wall of the guide.
The method of claim 1,
The guide includes an outer wall, a center body formed concentrically with the outer wall, and a spring mounting portion formed between the outer wall and the center body.
The method of claim 3,
A needle comprising a laser processing unit further comprising a needle support into which the needle is inserted.
The method of claim 1,
The body includes a bottom portion and a spring coupling groove formed concentrically on the bottom portion, 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.
The method of claim 1,
A needle comprising a laser processing unit, characterized in that an extension portion protruding outward in the circumferential direction is formed on the bottom portion of the body.
The method of claim 1,
A needle comprising a laser processing unit characterized in that an adhesive sheet is coupled to the bottom of the body.
A method of using a needle comprising a laser processing unit according to claim 1,
lowering the guide within the body by the operator's pressure;
A step in which the needle coupled to the guide descends with the guide and is inserted into the skin of the person being treated;
Returning the guide to its original position according to the restoring force of the spring when the operator releases the pressure; and
A method of using a needle including a laser processing unit, comprising the step of maintaining the needle inserted into the skin.

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