Optical, Spectroscopic, and Doppler Evaluation of “Normal” and “Abnormal” Reflexology Areas in Lumbar Vertebral Pathology: A Case Study

Table 1

Multimodal evaluation of  “normal” and “abnormal” reflexology areas for lumbar vertebrae.

Technique	Feature	Reflexology areas		P-value/remarks
		“Normal”	“Abnormal”
Clinical photography	Grey scale luminosity	158.1 ± 12.0	105.9 ± 13.9	<0.001
VAS scoring of tenderness under defined finger pressure (~35 N/cm^2)	Tenderness (VAS score)	1	6	Increased tenderness in “abnormal” RA
SS-OCT	Viable epidermis thickness (μm) mean ± SD	329.9 ± 13.5	200.0 ± 35.8	<0.001
	Viable epidermis luminosity	59.8 ± 28.2	84.0 ± 28.9	<0.001
IR-thermography	Temperature (°C) mean ± SD	34.58 ± 0.16	35.44 ± 0.05	<0.001
	Blood perfusion unit at base line	9	25	177.7% blood perfusion enhanced in “abnormal” RA
Combined microcirculation and transcutaneous oxygen monitor system	Blood perfusion unit under heat provocation	76	119	51.0% blood perfusion elevated in “abnormal” RA
	Oxygen partial pressure (mm of Hg) under stable condition	76	50	34.0% oxygen partial pressure reduced in “abnormal” RA