Japanese Journal of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science

Date: March 2023 (Vol. 80)

Publisher: Shizenkagakusha

 

The key points summarizing the report:

• Wearing Relive Shirts and Pants resulted in significant improvement in blood flow, body surface temperature, fatigue, balance, range of motion, ease of movement, and fatigue relief.
• The wearing effects were demonstrated through both objective and subjective indicators.  
• The special prints along the meridians are thought to act on blood vessels, nerves, and muscles to enhance circulation, metabolism, nerve signal transmission, and muscle activation.
• The effects confirmed even when worn during activities of daily living suggest potential for health maintenance and improvement. Meridians are thought to act on blood vessels, nerves, and muscles to enhance circulation, metabolism, nerve signal transmission, and muscle activation.
• The effects confirmed even when worn during activities of daily living suggest potential for health maintenance and improvement.

 

“The effect of wearing Relive Shirts and Pants on body composition and physical function: A randomized double-blind comparative controlled trial”

 

By Hirohisa Kojima*1, Nobuyoshi Okamura*2, Takashi Sasaki*3

*1 Relive Co., Ltd.

*2 Sun Medical University  

*3 Sasaki Orthopedic Clinic

 

1. Introduction

 

According to the National Livelihood Survey, among health-related symptoms, “lower back pain” and “stiff shoulders” are the most common complaints for both men and women. It has been pointed out that lower back pain and stiff shoulders that tend to become chronic can hinder daily activities and reduce quality of life.

 

Various countermeasures have been proposed for lower back pain and stiff shoulders, including massage therapy, pharmaceuticals, poultices, corsets, hot spring therapy, pants to alleviate lower back pain, and so on. Taping is used as one measure against stiff shoulders and lower back pain to alleviate pain and prevent aggravation.

 

Taping involves wrapping tape around the affected area to prevent injury and deterioration as well as improve mobility. In recent years, taping has been expected to provide fatigue relief, increased stability, expanded range of motion, improved performance, etc. through joint and muscle support, regardless of injury. Taping is also increasingly used to support safe and efficient physical activity, and is applied in situations involving physical activity, from athletes to medical and nursing care settings. Research has also advanced on apparel items and sportswear applying this taping function.

 

Compression wear and conditioning wear with taping function added to clothing are also called corrective pressure wearing. By fitting tightly to the body and applying pressure, they moderately compress muscles and joints, aim to correct posture and prevent swelling, and support movement. However, the pressure itself has caused discomfort and stress in many cases, making the wearing time and scenarios limited.

 

In light of the advantages and challenges of taping, we have worked to develop products that can be used continuously without burden by adding these functions to everyday clothes. Our “Indirect Taping” technology achieves the same comfortable feel as ordinary clothes without tightly fitting the body, resulting in the creation of “Relive Shirts” and “Relive Pants”. These shirts and pants have special prints and Relive tape arranged along meridians based on traditional Chinese medicine in place of taping. Wearing Relive shirts and pants is thought to continuously activate muscles, and users have reported experiencing changes in physical function and mobility. Objectively evaluating these wearing impressions users have reported as effects is considered important for promoting proper use.

 Therefore, we conducted a study to assess aspects such as changes in range of motion and muscle hardness, improved flexibility, increased muscle strength like grip strength and back strength, improved blood flow, and fatigue relief from wearing “Relive Shirts and Pants”.

Purpose

The purpose of this trial was to verify the effect of wearing Relive Shirts and Pants on body composition.

2. Research Method  

1. Trial design

This trial was a crossover trial (with a 2-week washout period) comparing the Relive shirt/pants wearing group and the placebo shirt/pants wearing group without mineral sheets added, before wearing, after wearing, and 2 weeks later. Randomization was performed by someone not involved in the study randomly assigning whether subjects wore the test product or placebo in the first half (weeks 0-2) and second half (weeks 4-6).

2. Research subjects

The subjects were 14 healthy Japanese men and women between the ages of 30 and 59 who met the selection criteria for this trial, voluntarily applied to participate in the trial, received adequate explanation of the content, and agreed in writing to participate in the trial. The participants were 14 healthy men (7) and women (7) with discomfort or pain in their neck, shoulders, and lower back.

 1) Selection Criteria

– Healthy (defined in this trial as having no serious organ disorders or specific illnesses, no treatment for them, and not undergoing any drug therapy. Whether a person is healthy is determined based on their own declaration at the start of the trial.)

– Those with discomfort in their neck, shoulders, and lower back, and who feel their body is fatigued  

– Those whose middle finger is 10 cm or more from the floor when bending forward

– Those who do not go to chiropractors, gyms, yoga, etc.

– Those from whom written consent can be obtained 

– Those who do not meet participant exclusion criteria

 2) Exclusion criteria

 – Those with a medical history of treating illnesses such as heart failure and myocardial infarction

– Those excluded due to illnesses (atrial fibrillation, arrhythmia, liver disorder, kidney disorder, cerebrovascular disorder, rheumatism, diabetes, lipid disorder, hypertension, other chronic illnesses, etc. or who are receiving treatment)

– Those regularly using hospital visits and pharmaceuticals (including herbal medicines) 

– Those who are pregnant, lactating, or likely to become pregnant during the trial period

– Those with flexible bodies

– Those who go to chiropractors, gyms, yoga, etc.

– Those who have participated in other clinical trials within the past month or are currently participating

– Those otherwise deemed inappropriate as trial subjects by the principal trial physician

 

3. Ethics review committee and participant consent

 

This trial was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki after obtaining approval on October 18, 2022 from the Ethics Review Committee of Kobayashi Ginza Clinic Medical Corporation (Chairman: Hirofumi Okamura), with sufficient explanation of the trial provided to participants and written consent obtained.

 

4. Registration

 

1) Test product  

 

The test product used was Relive Shirts and Pants (Relive Co., Ltd.) (Fig. 1). The special prints contain kneaded-in tourmaline, which is thought to stimulate meridians and muscles through negative ions generated by the tourmaline and regulate the body by smoothing the flow of electrical signals emitted from the brain.

 

The Relive shirts are made of elastic 100% polyester material, with special prints on the inside around the left and right abdomen, special prints on the inside of the left and right shoulders, and special prints around the left and right inferior scapular. The Relive pants are made of a polyester-cotton blend, with special prints on the outside lower left and right abdomen and special prints on the left and right sacrum on the back. 

 

Figure 1: Relive Shirt/Underwear

 

2) Instructions for Use  

 

Before using the test product, subjects wore commercially available 100% polyester T-shirts and pants. For 2 weeks after using the test product, they wore T-shirts and pants of the same material without the special prints directly against their skin. At the time of measurement, they wore common half pants.

 

3) Compliance

 

During trial participation, subjects were asked to maintain their normal lifestyle as much as possible. They wore a smartwatch for 24 hours and entered their sleep score, deep sleep ratio, average stress score, maximum stress score, and minimum stress score in a web diary every day. They were to wear the test product and placebo for 8 hours or more per day.

 

5. Evaluation

1) Measurement method

Range of motion: Neck lateral bending on left and right measured with digital goniometer; left and right shoulder external rotation (lateral fist raise) photographed with camera; forward bend measured with digital trunk forward flexometer; left and right knee range of motion measured as distance from floor to superior knee with metal height measure YS-OA; muscle hardness of left neck, left and right shoulders, and left and right lower back measured with muscle hardness meter NEUTONE TDM-N1; jump height measured with jump meter MD; left and right grip strength measured with digital dynamometer; back muscle strength measured with digital back muscle dynamometer Back-D TKKM02; lifting measured as distance from desk to bottom of cardboard box by lifting 18.9 kg cardboard box horizontally with arms alone; standing from sitting balance measured from sitting to standing with balance analyzer zaRitz BM-220; fatigue level measured as time until stopping red dot disappears with flicker value meter Model II (automatic) TKK-21C; blood flow velocity photographed with blood flow scope CAPILLARY SCOPE-2 to measure subsurface capillary blood flow in nail of left ring finger; body surface temperature photographed with Thermal Imaging Camera PerfectPrime IR105. Same measurements performed after changing clothes after wearing.

 

2) Evaluation method

 

Comparisons over time and between groups were made before, after, and 2 weeks after wearing the test product and placebo. 

For objective evaluation, blood flow velocity evaluated subsurface capillary blood flow in 1 second; body surface temperature evaluated temperature at set points on back; fatigue level evaluated with flicker value time until disappearing red dot reappears; standing from sitting balance evaluated balance from sitting to standing; left and right neck range of motion evaluated angle when horizontally turning neck from facing forward; left and right arm range of motion evaluated angle when horizontally raising arms with hands on thighs; forward bend evaluated distance bar pushed down from 0 cm point to 20 cm point with knees unbent; left and right knee range of motion evaluated distance from floor to superior knee; left and right neck, shoulder, and lower back muscle hardness evaluated hardness at set points on muscles; jump height evaluated distance jumped from floor; grip strength evaluated strength of gripping with hand; back muscle strength evaluated pulling strength; lifting height evaluated distance from desk to cardboard box. During the trial period, sleep score, deep sleep ratio, average stress score, maximum stress score, and minimum stress score were evaluated by having subjects wear a smartwatch for 24 hours.

 

For subjective evaluation, the following 5 items were evaluated on a 9-step scale of “1 point: Hard to move – 5 points: Neutral – 9 points: Easy to move”: ease of movement of body, neck, shoulders, lower back, and knees. The following 3 items were evaluated on a 9-step scale of “1 point: Feel – 5 points: Neutral – 9 points: Do not feel”: fatigue, inability to sleep soundly, and body feeling cold.

6. Statistical method

Data were summarized as descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and evaluated with ANOVA before wearing, after wearing, and 2 weeks later. Comparisons over time and between groups were tested with paired t-test and Student’s t-test, respectively. Statistical software Statcel4 was used, with significance level set at 5%.

7. Conflicts of interest   

There are no conflicts of interest in the relationship between the contracting company and the implementing institution.

 

III. Results

 

The trial was conducted on 14 subjects (mean age 46.1 ± 7.2 years; males: mean age 46.3 ± 8.1 years, females: mean age 46.0 ± 6.9 years). There were no dropouts, with all 14 subjects completing the trial. As there were no adverse events or unsuitable cases, all 14 subjects who completed the trial were analyzed.

 

1. Changes in objective indicators (Table 1)

 

For blood flow velocity, the test product group went from 43.43 μL/sec before wearing to 65.05 μL/sec after wearing and 64.00 μL/sec at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 43.43 μL/sec before wearing to 42.00 μL/sec after wearing and 40.00 μL/sec at 2 weeks later, with significant differences seen after wearing and 2 weeks later. 

For body surface temperature, the test product group went from 28.34°C before wearing to 28.74°C after wearing and 29.40°C at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 28.34°C before wearing to 28.31°C after wearing and 28.33°C at 2 weeks later, with a significant difference seen at 2 weeks later. 

For fatigue level (flicker value), the test product group went from 37.50 before wearing to 39.71 after wearing and 41.11 at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 37.50 before wearing to 38.11 after wearing and 38.79 at 2 weeks later, with a significant difference seen at 2 weeks later.

For standing from sitting balance, the test product group went from 54.71 before wearing to 56.79 after wearing and 58.29 at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 54.71 before wearing to 53.29 after wearing and 52.71 at 2 weeks later, with significant differences seen after wearing and 2 weeks later.

For left neck range of motion, the test product group went from 64.29° before wearing to 70.00° after wearing and 73.57° at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 64.29° before wearing to 62.86° after wearing and 63.57° at 2 weeks later, with significant differences seen after wearing and 2 weeks later.

For movement ease of body, the test product group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 6.50 points after wearing and 7.64 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 4.57 points after wearing and 4.50 points at 2 weeks later. 

For movement ease of neck, the test product group went from 4.71 points before wearing to 6.57 points after wearing and 7.50 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 4.71 points before wearing to 4.64 points after wearing and 4.57 points at 2 weeks later.

For movement ease of shoulders, the test product group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 6.29 points after wearing and 7.36 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 4.57 points after wearing and 4.64 points at 2 weeks later. 

For movement ease of lower back, the test product group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 6.43 points after wearing and 7.57 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 4.57 points before wearing to 4.50 points after wearing and 4.57 points at 2 weeks later. 

For movement ease of knees, the test product group went from 5.14 points before wearing to 6.86 points after wearing and 7.71 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 5.14 points before wearing to 5.07 points after wearing and 5.00 points at 2 weeks later.

For fatigue, the test product group went from 4.86 points before wearing to 6.64 points after wearing and 7.57 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 4.86 points before wearing to 4.86 points after wearing and 4.79 points at 2 weeks later. 

For inability to sleep soundly, the test product group went from 5.07 points before wearing to 6.71 points after wearing and 7.43 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 5.07 points before wearing to 5.07 points after wearing and 5.00 points at 2 weeks later.

For body chills/feeling cold, the test product group went from 5.14 points before wearing to 6.64 points after wearing and 7.50 points at 2 weeks later, while the placebo group went from 5.14 points before wearing to 5.00 points after wearing and 5.00 points at 2 weeks later.

4. Discussion

 

In this trial, wearing Relive Shirts and Pants resulted in significant improvement compared to before wearing in both objective indicators like blood flow and subjective indicators like movement ease in the test product group. Meanwhile, almost no variation was seen in the placebo group. This suggests that wearing Relive Shirts and Pants has a positive impact on body composition and physical function.

For blood flow velocity, a significant increase of about 50% was seen after wearing Relive Shirts and Pants. This matches users’ experiences of reduced coldness and improved blood circulation. It is thought that the special print designs on the meridians stimulated and promoted blood flow. 

Body surface temperature showed a significant 1°C increase at 2 weeks after wearing. This increased peripheral blood flow and metabolism is thought to have resulted in increased body surface temperature. The improvement in cold constitution often mentioned by users seems attributable to this effect.  

Fatigue level based on the flicker value rose significantly by about 10% after 2 weeks of wearing. This suggests that wearing Relive Shirts and Pants reduces fatigue and keeps people feeling refreshed. The special prints pressing on the meridians are thought to promote circulation and metabolism and mitigate fatigue accumulation.

The standing from sitting balance saw significant improvement, suggesting increased stability and reduced risk of falling. Activation of muscles through wearing Relive Shirts and Pants is thought to improve physical balance ability. The designs pressing on the meridians seem to contribute to enhanced balance function by stimulating nerves.

Range of motion also expanded significantly for the neck and other joints. Stimulation of the meridians is thought to have improved mobility by enhancing nervous system signal transmission to relax stiff muscles and make joints move more smoothly. The reported experience of freer movement seems attributable to this effect.

Subjective indicators related to ease of movement and fatigue also improved significantly in all areas. The quantitative confirmation of enhanced mobility matches users’ experiences. This suggests that flexible joint movement and mitigation of muscle and nerve stiffness from Relive Shirts and Pants wearing lead to the feeling of lighter, freer movement described by users. The significant fatigue relief also accords with user experiences.

 

1. Conclusion

 

This randomized comparative trial demonstrated that wearing Relive Shirts and Pants resulted in significant improvement in blood flow, body surface temperature, fatigue, balance, range of motion, movement ease, and fatigue relief compared to before wearing and the placebo group.

The improvements in objective indicators like blood flow and range of motion match the subjective easing of fatigue and freer movement reported by users. These results quantitatively demonstrate the effects of Relive Shirts and Pants on body composition and physical function.

 

It is thought that the special print designs on the meridians stimulated blood vessels, nerves, and muscles, improving circulation and metabolism, transmission of nerve signals, and muscle activation. The significant changes seen even with wearing during daily life suggest potential benefits for health maintenance and improvement.

 

Relive Shirts and Pants stimulation of acupressure points along meridians in traditional Chinese medicine using special mineral-containing prints is a novel approach differing from existing taping and compression wear. The comfortable wearing feel with no tightness also facilitates continuous wearing during daily living.

 

The quantitative demonstration of diverse positive impacts on body composition and physical function in this comparative trial indicates the potential of Relive Shirts and Pants as a new acupressure wear product that can be worn continuously regardless of age, sex, or activity scene to maintain and enhance health and physical function. Analysis of long-term impacts is a topic for future research.

 

References

[1] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2021 Patient Survey. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/dl/20-21-h2.pdf

[2] Nick Northey. Lower Back Pain and Quality of Life. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy. 1998; 26(1): 15-16.

[3] Kase K, Wallis J, Kase T. Clinical Therapeutic Applications of the Kinesio Taping Method. 2nd ed. Tokyo, Japan: Ken Ikai Co Ltd; 2003.

The key points summarizing the report:

– Wearing Relive Shirts and Pants resulted in significant improvement in blood flow, body surface temperature, fatigue, balance, range of motion, ease of movement, and fatigue relief.

– The wearing effects were demonstrated through both objective and subjective indicators.  

– The special prints along the meridians are thought to act on blood vessels, nerves, and muscles to enhance circulation, metabolism, nerve signal transmission, and muscle activation.

– The effects confirmed even when worn during activities of daily living suggest potential for health maintenance and improvement.