Elucidation of the medical effect to manipulative therapy by visualizing muscle blood flow

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K11457
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Nippon Sport Science University
• Principal Investigator: Yasuhiro Matsuda 日本体育大学, 保健医療学部, 准教授 (20760200)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小野 弓絵 明治大学, 理工学部, 専任教授 (10360207) ; 服部 辰広 日本体育大学, 保健医療学部, 准教授 (20739768)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 手技療法 / 拡散相関分光法 / 筋血流計測 / 生体医工学 / 可視化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Manual therapy uses various techniques such as rubbing, kneading, pressing, tapping, and stretching. However, research in these areas has lagged behind other medical fields, and the methodology for measuring and evaluating the effects of manual therapy has not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in local muscle blood flow due to manual therapy using a novel optical measurement technique of diffuse correlation spectroscopy. The results showed that five minutes of manual therapy increased muscle blood flow approximately 2-fold in the trapezius muscle and approximately 1.4-fold in the gastrocnemius muscle. Our results suggest that the diffuse correlation spectroscopy could be a reliable and quantitative method for measuring and evaluating the effect of manual therapy.

Free Research Field

手技療法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

徒手的な施術は施術部位の血流促進効果があると考えられている。しかし，深部に位置する筋の微小循環を計測できる方法がないため，この分野の研究は他の医学分野に対して大幅に立ち遅れているのが現状である。本研究では人体に無害な光を使用して組織血流変化を評価可能な拡散相関分光法を用いた筋血流計測システムを開発し，施術前後の筋血流の変化を計測した。施術により局所の筋血流が増加する結果となり，施術による血流促進を客観的に評価する方法を確立できた。提案する計測手法は，医療やスポーツの場における術者の施術意欲の向上や患者の満足度の向上，ならびに施術技術の伝承・教育の効率化への応用が期待される。