Visualizing Motion Patterns in Acupuncture Manipulation

The overall goal of this Acupuncture Manipulation Education System, or AMES, is to provide a platform for students to enhance the skills required for acupuncture needle manipulation using visual motor learning. This method can help answer key question in the field of acupuncture training, such as visualization and standardization of acupuncture needle manipulation movements. The main advantage of this technique is that it visually present the motion pattern of hand movement for the improvement of the performance and use phantom acupoints that feels the same as human acupoints.

We first had the idea for this method when we saw students having a hard time acupuncture manipulations course, which is why difference exist in acupuncture manipulation among that course. The method is helpful in manipulating acupuncture needles correctly. To construct phantom acupoints, add 0.75 grams of agarose to 15 milliliters of distilled water, and warm the solution in the microwave for 20 seconds until the agarose becomes transparent.

While wearing gloves to avoid burns, divide the agarose gel into two milliliter aliquots in five tubes and seal them. Carefully position the tubes standing up straight, and incubate at room temperature for two hours. To evaluate the degree of stimulation and biomechanical force of newly created phantom acupoints, after positioning an acupuncture needle within a hole located at the center of the sensor, insert the needle 15 milliliters deep into the gel.

Over a one second period, rotate the needle one full circle clockwise, and then counterclockwise, and repeat for a total of 15 seconds, if possible, using motion sensor real-time graph to verify the velocity of rotation. Then pull the needle from the gel after acupuncture manipulation. After preparing a 5%agarose gel phantom acupoint and sanitizing hands according to the text protocol, download and install the program shown here.

After opening the program, prepare the motion sensor. Position an acupuncture needle through the hole located at the center of the sensor. Because the acupuncture needle is not attached to the sensor, be prepared to move the needle through the hole while the sensor measures the motion of the needle.

Prepare the phantom acupoint to insert the needle. Before starting the manipulation, choose from lifting thrusting or the rotating manipulation technique by pressing one of the two radio buttons displayed on the graphic user interface. Then for the intended movement for practice, choose between a pattern with a one to one ratio, a one to two ratio, or a two to one ratio sine graph.

Next, using a two-axis actuator, calibrate the motion sensor by positioning the acupuncture needle with the participant's finger, and choose calibrate on the screen. Through the calibration, the two-axis actuator will recognize and adjust the current position as a zero-value in depth. Then manipulate an acupuncture needle on the phantom acupoint for about one minute while the actual movement of acupuncture manipulation is being measured.

Have the participant look at the screen as they manipulate the needle to view the actual movement of his or her acupuncture manipulation concurrently, along with the intended movement. As shown here, transmitted actual movement is displayed as the green line, and the template of the intended motion is concurrently overlapped as the red line. Finally, use the rotation method to acquire the real-time motion wave data.

Carry out data processing according to the text protocol. Shown here is an example of waveform raw data for rotation and torque during a one Hertz rotating manipulation using the Acupuncture Manipulation Education System, or AMES. The AMES program concurrently visualizes the actual movement and the intended movement using different color lines, allowing for visual motor learning.

The different templates for rotating and lifting thrusting movements according to the symmetry and frequency of different movements are illustrated here. After the participant completes the acupuncture manipulation the raw data are processed to produce an extracted sample motion for each participant. The sample motion is used to calculate the error between the intended movement and the actual movement after processing.

Upon analysis, the motion patterns of acupuncture manipulation during the complex lifting thrusting session are improved. As indicated here, the estimated motion pattern regression curves are closer to the motion template in the post-training test, compared with the pre-training test. Finally, following training, there is a significant shape error reduction in the complex lifting thrusting session.

Once mastered, this technique can be done in 30 minutes per trial if it is performed properly. While attending this procedure, it's important to remember to manipulate the acupuncture needle in uniform movements with the help of visual feedback from the program. Following this procedure, other acupuncture manipulation styles can be performed in order to answer additional questions, like applying this procedure for more advanced training for clinical practice.

After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of education and standardization of acupuncture manipulation to develop a more effective and efficient way to train different acupuncture needle manipulations using phantom acupoints. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to use the Acupuncture Manipulation Education System and apply it in acupuncture training.