The thermal dolorimeter by Hardy has been used to measure thermal pain threshold. The original model is accurate but has following drawbacks. Measurements must be repeated to arrive at the thermal pain threshold. It is too large in size and requires elaborate preparations for the subjects in field works.
A new thermal dolorimeter is constructed improving those drawbacks. In order to avoid repetition in measurement we adopt period of heating until tolerable temperature as the thermal pain threshold, keeping the stimulating energy fixed. In order to reduce size and to make more convenient, a small lamp is used to heat subject by thermal conduction. The results were satisfactory. The time for measurement is drastically decreased enabling the instrument to follow fast changing phenomena.
As applications of the improved thermal dolorimeter, thermal pain thresholds were measured under following conditions.
(1) Patients are treated by electrical pain abater.
(2) Measurement for a month to know relationship to ambient temperature.
(3) Subjects are under physical exercises such as swimming, running and bathing.
(4) Measueament to know the relationship of threshold to circadian rhythm.
(5) Subjects are under visual biofeedback.
(6) Computer simulation to estimate the depth of heat sensor in human body.
(7) Application to Oriental medicine to find the location of acute point for moxibustion.
The results of measurement were compared to the data of Hardy's instrument. The accuracy of our model is almost the same as Hardy's to be 5% in one subject and 18% between different subjects.
View full abstract