Clinical massage therapy with the oral-rehabilitation robot in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders

Abstract

It is well known that the massage therapy is useful for the rehabilitation of various diseases (i.e. oral health problems, ete.), Although various apparatus have been developed for the massage of the torso and limbs, there is still little knowledge about their real effectiveness. For this purpose, authors have proposed the development of a robotic system that provides massage therapy of the maxillofacial region to patients with temporomandibular joint disorders. As a result of our research, we have developed the Waseda-Asahi Oral-Rehabilitation No.1 (WAD-I), which it is composed by two six-degrees of freedom arms with plungers attached at their end-effector. Preclinical tests were carried out to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system. In order to evaluate the safety measures of the applied forces during the massage therapy, we have based our analysis on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which is a conventional subjective evaluation methods commonly used in the medical field. From the experimental results, we could confirm the effectiveness of the therapy provided by WAD-I.

Selective Effects of Manual Massage and Foam Rolling on Perceived Recovery and Performance: Current Knowledge and Future Directions Toward Robotic Massages

“…This robotic device, originally designed to promote recovery of temporomandibular disorders, was highly technical, very expensive, and targeted a specific population. Experiments provided useful information on the pressure exerted on masseter and temporal muscles, with values ranging from 100 g to 1.5 kg ( Koga et al, 2008 ; Ariji et al, 2009a , b , 2010 ; Ishii et al, 2009 ; Obokawa et al, 2009 ; Solis et al, 2009 ; Hiraiwa et al, 2013 ; Table 8 ). The most effective pressure inducing a better easy-mouth opening was 800 g on small facial muscles.…”

“…The most effective pressure inducing a better easy-mouth opening was 800 g on small facial muscles. This robot also increased perceived comfort of users, muscle pain management, increased perceived heat, and promoted functional motor recovery (e.g., mouth opening, blood circulation, saliva production, muscle thickness ( Koga et al, 2008 ; Ariji et al, 2009a , b , 2010 , 2015 , 2016 ; Ishii et al, 2009 ; Obokawa et al, 2009 ; Solis et al, 2009 ; Hiraiwa et al, 2013 ; Table 8 ). Other similar robotics projects provided promising results with a drop in lumbar strain, heart rate and muscle activity ( Peng et al, 2010 ; Luo and Chang, 2011 ; Hu et al, 2013 ; Table 8 ).…”

Robotics in Massage: A Systematic Review

“…Fifteen preliminary studies, along with one quasi-experimental, and one randomized controlled trial study, involving a total of 841 adults, comprising 621 healthy volunteers and 220 patients, were included in this review. Geographically, these studies were conducted in various regions: Japan (10 studies), 7 – 16 China (2 studies), 17 , 18 Taiwan (2 studies), 19 , 20 and individual studies in New Zealand, 21 Vietnam, 22 and Spain. 23 Of the 17 studies, five studies 11 , 13 , 16 – 18 did not specify participants’ age and gender.…”

“…The massage was applied to various focal points, including the oral ( n = 9, 53%), 7 , 8 , 10 – 16 head ( n = 3, 18%), 9 , 21 , 22 shoulder ( n = 1, 6%), 20 lower back ( n = 3, 18%), 17 , 18 , 23 and full body ( n = 1, 6%). 19 Massage treatments were administered to both healthy volunteers 9 , 11 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 21 , 22 and individuals with various conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction associated with myofascial pain, 7 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 15 muscular fatigue, 20 anxiety during menopause, 19 and lower back pain. 18 , 23 These interventions were administered over differing timeframes.…”

Vision-Integrated Physiotherapy Service Robot Using Cooperating Two Arms

“…Waseda University, also in Japan, has succeeded in developing the Waseda-Asahi oralrehabilitation robot in 2007, which is composed by two six-degrees of freedom arms with plungers attached at their end-effectors [7][8][9]. Konkuk University has developed a massage robot tapping human backs in 2007, which is composed of a chair, a 1-DOF (degree-of-freedom) torso, monitor face, and two 3-DOF arms and hands [10].…”