Abstract
Heat application in the lumbar region using hot moist compresses is clinically used for the induction of bowel movement and flatulence. In this study, we developed the heat- and steam-generating sheets (HSG : W-size 120×204 mm, S-size 102×120 mm), which maintain a temperature of 38 - 40℃ on the skin surface in contact with the sheet for more than 5 hours and examined the effects of the sheet applied to the lumbar region on bowel movement and the correlation between the effects and the applied area.
The subjects were 51 middle-aged females with irregular defecation, with a mean age of 54.1 and they were divided into two groups (Group1 : W-size (0 - 2weeks) → S-size (3 - 4weeks), Group2 : S-size (0 - 2weeks) → W-size (3 - 4weeks) ). These sheets were applied to the lumbar region once per day during the examination period of 4 weeks. As a result, 1) Constipation was significantly improved during the examination of 2 weeks on S- and W-size sheets. 2) 3 subjective symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal fullness, abdominal pain) were significantly improved during 4 weeks on both groups. 3) In 20 subjects with serious constipation symptom, defecation increased from 4.2 days/week to 5.4 days/week on average (p ＜ 0. 001). These findings indicated that HSG application in the lumbar region improved these symptoms as well as application in the abdominal region.
