Vacuum therapy and vacuum massage

Vacuum therapy (vacuum massage) is the effect on the skin and deep tissues with negative pressure of the order of 0.1-0.7 atm.

Mechanism of action of vacuum massage

In the zone of action of negative pressures, the capillaries expand, increase the blood flow, and activate metabolic processes in cells and tissues. The irritation of the mechano- and thermoreceptors of the skin has a stimulating effect on the neurohumoral system, increasing the intake of acetylcholine, histamine, prostaglandins and other substances into the blood. "At the border of the transition of negative pressure to normal in the skin there are" soft "hemorrhages, which are additional sources of biological stimulation of T-lymphocyte synthesis, contributing to the restoration of skin immunity and the mediated activation of fibroblasts.

The principle on which vacuum therapy is based is to increase the flow of blood and increase its circulation in the zone of local negative barometric pressure or decompression. It is this that creates unique conditions in which trophic peripheral tissues and intracellular metabolism improve, toxins are activated, inflammation of damaged cells ceases, and their structural and functional recovery is accelerated.

Apparatuses, devices and techniques for conducting this type of therapy may differ and depend on both the specific technique and the purpose of the treatment procedure.

Indications for the procedure

Given the stimulating effect on local metabolic processes, venous circulation and lymphatic drainage, indications for vacuum therapy include:

• swelling of the lower extremities due to chronic venous insufficiency;
• stasis of lymph in the vessels and  lymphedema;
• occlusion of the arteries of the lower extremities in the atherosclerosis of the vessels;
• angiotrophoneurosis of the upper extremities -  Raynaud's disease;
• muscular atrophy / hypotrophy and spasms;
• vegetative vascular dystonia and neuroses;
• constipation;
• obesity;
• lipodystrophy (cellulite).

And vacuum therapy of wounds on technology NPWT (details more) is intended for treatment:

• different types of wounds (especially poorly healed open at high risk of secondary infection);
• burns I-II degree;
• trophic ulcers (including diabetic foot), etc.

[1], [2], [3], [4]

Technique of the vacuum Therapy

Vacuum massage is prescribed by two methods.

1. Dotted technique. In the middle part of the cannula there is a small hole, to create tightness, this hole is closed with a finger, and the cannula tightly presses against the skin. Depending on the skin area, the pressure is selected from 0.1 to 0.5 atm. The duration of the negative pressure is 3-5 seconds. The finger is removed from the hole, the pressure is normalized. The cannula is moved to a new place, next to the previous one, and so consistently affects the skin of the face along the massage lines, from the center of the face to the auricle, from the superciliary arcs to the scalp. This avoids the zones of the upper and lower eyelids.
2. The technique of sliding. It is more often used when working on the body, to correct lipodystrophy (cellulite), and only in exceptional cases on the face. Before the procedure begins, the skin is covered with cream or oil. To ensure a good slip. Having created a negative pressure in the cannula, without lifting it, it slides through the skin from the center of the face to the auricle along the massage lines, in the forehead region, respectively.

The procedure of vacuum massage is carried out for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a week, with a course of 10-15 procedures.

Vacuum therapy with banks

The simplest - vacuum therapy at home - is carried out by installing on the back of ordinary medical cans, for example, with bronchitis.

Also, the use of cans for vacuum massage, made of plastic or silicone, is practiced; In such a set for a vacuum therapy can enter banks of different sizes.

In addition to respiratory diseases with a cough (except for pulmonary tuberculosis), vacuum therapy with cans and canned massage is recommended for arthritis, fibromyalgia, leg edema, cellulite.

A variant of therapy with banks is vacuum-gradient therapy - installation of cans of different diameters during one session. A gradient, that is, a transition from a smaller pressure decrease to a larger one, arises due to the difference in the size of the skin area drawn into the cans and the pressure between them. It is believed that thus local blood flow is stimulated in deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue, and therefore the effectiveness of vacuum massage procedures for obesity and lipodystrophy is much higher.

Another type of therapeutic can massage is magnetic-vacuum therapy, using so-called acupuncture magnetic-vacuum cans (with a magnetic cone-shaped core inside), which, according to their Chinese manufacturers, additionally affect the same reflex zones of the body as the acupressure.

Vacuum therapy of wounds

Typically, wounds heal by approximating the edges of the wound (for example, by stitching), and the process of regenerating the defect by granulation and restoring the intact epithelial barrier is quite complex and prolonged, often accompanied by infection and inflammation. Vacuum wound therapy - in particular, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) or local therapy with negative pressure (TNP), as well as VAC (Vacuum Assisted Closure - auxiliary vacuum closure) - makes the healing process more dynamic. And all thanks to increased blood flow to damaged tissues and a decrease in their puffiness.

The use of vacuum therapy in surgical practice and traumatology gives a good effect on the healing of chronic and severe wounds with extensive and profound soft tissue damage, creating a moist environment, removing the discharge from the drainage, squeezing the edges of the wound, stimulating angiogenesis and the formation of granulation tissue. In addition, NPWT can provide protection against infection, since an open wound turns into a controlled closed wound.

Apparatus for vacuum therapy of wounds (Foryou STAN NPWT, PICO Single Use NPWT, VivanoTec, etc.) usually consists of an adjustable vacuum pump, special multilayer dressings, fixings for sealing the wound surface, drainage tubes, systems for connecting wound dressings to pump units, chamber (tank) for collection of waste liquids.

The technique requires appropriate treatment of the wound surface and the application of the initial loose, and on top of the dense occlusive dressing (the type of dressing used depends on the type of wound and clinical goals). Then drain the system and seal the bandage. When the preparation is completed, the pump is connected to pump the air: it can be tuned to continuous or intermittent pressure with regulation of its level.

Vacuum-laser therapy

Vacuum laser lipolysis or vacuum-laser therapy is a non-invasive and painless alternative to conventional fat pumping - liposuction.

Apparatus for vacuum therapy (more precisely procedures) combines a suction device with rollers, equipped with a vacuum pump, with heat from a laser of low power.

Explain the effect of a double effect - vacuum and laser - in that it facilitates the movement of "warmed" triglycerides from adipocytes (adipose cells) to their outer membranes and into the intercellular space, from which everything is absorbed by the lymphatic system.

In this case, the rollers, as claimed in the spa, pull out the fibrous tissue and even the dimples on the skin, characteristic for lipodystrophy.

Interval Vacuum Therapy

Vacuum can be used continuously or intermittently, and in the second case it is interval vacuum therapy, which is performed in case of venous and arterial problems of the lower extremities, and also during rehabilitation after sports injuries and vascular diseases.

Alternating pressure (normal and low) helps to strengthen the circulation of lymph and activate blood flow at the periphery and in the muscles. The apparatus for this type of vacuum therapy consists of a cylindrical space where the patient's legs are placed; In the waist region, the internal space of the device is sealed, and the vacuum pump alternately generates intermittent normal and low pressure.

During the normal pressure phase, the reverse flow of venous blood and lymph in the large vessels is facilitated, and as a result, interval vacuum therapy provides deep lymphatic drainage.

Vacuum therapy for osteochondrosis

Preparation of the vacuum procedure for osteochondrosis consists in a light five-minute, slightly warming massage with essential oils. And then on both sides of the spine (with an indentation of 7-8 cm) banks are installed, and a specialist in canter massage is taken for work.

Care after the procedure is simple: you should take good care of yourself and rest, lying on your stomach, at least 40-45 minutes.

However, there are contraindications to vacuum therapy for osteochondrosis, and this is:

• hypersensitivity of the skin and the presence of large moles where there is a need to massage;
• skin cancer or oncology of other localization;
• high probability of bleeding;
• tuberculosis;
• significantly elevated blood pressure;
• predisposition to convulsions;
• pregnancy.

More useful information -  Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Vacuum-constrictive therapy

Treatment with local negative pressure - vacuum therapy with erectile dysfunction (ED) or fallodecompression - is used to stretch the cavernous (cavernous) bodies of the penis and increase the flow of blood to the penis.

Depending on the purpose, vacuum constrictor therapy can be used - a vacuum narrowing device (VCD or vacuum rectifier) by means of an external compression ring, which is installed at the base of the penis to prevent blood outflow, supporting an erection for sexual intercourse.

When the narrowing ring is not used, blood oxygenation in the male sexual organ is simply increased and cavernous fibrosis is reduced, and such vacuum therapy for men is part of the rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy, potentially increasing the chance of maintaining erectile function.

Specialists note that this treatment option often helps men with moderate ED. But even with proper preparation, 65% of patients stop using the device for VCD within two to three months.

Vacuum facial therapy

To date, vacuum facial therapy is limited to vacuum massage with a suction electric pump with nozzles.

At the same time, stories about the long lifting effect, the restoration of the young structure of the skin and the increase in collagen synthesis are somewhat exaggerated, since such a procedure has become standard in many salons ... So read reviews about procedures and their effectiveness (99% fictitious for advertising purposes) A waste of time.

The only thing that is guaranteed to improve after a facial vacuum massage is the local circulation and lymphatic drainage; the rest depends on such factors as the state of the endocrine system and metabolism, the type of skin and daily care for it, as well as the "degree of its wear and tear".

Contraindications to the procedure

The technique is simple in execution, effective, but has a wide range of contraindications.

Vacuum therapy should not be given to patients with fever, acute infectious diseases or after a heart attack and stroke.

Do not apply hardware vacuum procedures for arterial hypertension of the third degree; Dermatological diseases of bacterial, fungal or viral origin; with a low level of platelets in the blood and its poor coagulability, as well as in the presence of thrombophlebitis or varicose veins on the legs (if the procedure affects the lower limbs).

This type of therapy is forbidden for pregnant women.

Contraindications to the treatment of wounds by a vacuum method are oncological diseases; purulent-necrotic processes in bone and soft tissues; presence of fistula; gaping of internal organs and large blood vessels in the wound cavity; septicemia.

[5], [6], [7], [8], [9]

Consequences after the procedure

Probably, the positive consequences after the procedure are more obvious (see the beginning of the material). Therefore, special attention should be paid to complications after the procedure.

So, vacuum therapy by banks is considered safe, only after removing the cans on the skin for a while there are characteristic round bruises. But this is normal and is not considered a complication. But when using glass jars by carelessness can get a skin burn. And in any case, there is no guarantee that there is no individual reaction, for example, in the form of point subcutaneous hemorrhage (petechia) or exacerbation of some chronic pathology.

Vacuum therapy of wounds can be accompanied by severe pain, especially when changing dressings, so in such cases the problem is solved by anesthetic drugs.

And vacuum therapy for men (more precisely, vacuum-constrictive) is fraught with significant subcutaneous hemorrhages in the penis, its paresthesia and extremely painful erection.

[10], [11], [12], [13]