JP2002143133A - Training device of pelvic floor muscle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support the training exercise of a pelvic floor muscle by distinguishing and detecting the movement of a pelvic floor muscle desired to strengthen and the movement of the other muscles which is not required and informing a trainee of the detecting result. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a measurement part 10 having an insertion part 11 which can be inserted to an anus and a rectum and a connection part 20 for connecting the insertion part 11 with a processing and displaying part 30 in an attachable and detachable manner. Then, pressure measurement data at a shallow part and a deep part within the part 11 is processed and displayed graphically by a liquid crystal display 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus and, more particularly, to a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus for assisting in effective exercise of strengthening pelvic floor muscles for preventing and treating urinary incontinence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Urinary incontinence includes stress urinary incontinence and urge incontinence due to efferent neuropathy. Stress urinary incontinence is
It is mainly caused by loosening of the pelvic floor during childbirth, and is common in adult women. It is said that one in three or four adult women have stress urinary incontinence, but they usually give up if it does not go away and deal with it by using light incontinence pads and napkins. Some men have stress urinary incontinence after prostatectomy.

[0003] There are three treatments for stress urinary incontinence: surgery, drug therapy and physical therapy. With respect to urge urinary incontinence due to some efferent neuropathy, the above three treatment methods same as stress urinary incontinence are considered to be effective. Surgical treatment includes bladder neck catching, and tools include an insertion-type female incontinence prevention ring. There are also a collagen injection method in which the urethral wall is covered with collagen and a treatment method in which a medicine is periodically administered, and electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles is also effective.

[0004] However, in many cases, surgical treatment and instruments such as rings cannot be aggressively applied, and it is necessary to periodically administer collagen injections and drugs, and the drugs are particularly effective for all patients. Not always, there may be side effects. In addition, electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles is not suitable for treatment at home, and the danger remains when electricity is passed through the body.

[0005] In this respect, for the purpose of treating or preventing mild urinary incontinence without having to rely on medicine or surgery, it is well known that exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles are desirable, and that they are effective. ing. According to various literatures, if the pelvic floor muscle training exercise is performed for 10 minutes a day for 2 to 3 months for mild cases, 70 to 80% of urinary incontinence due to efferent neuropathy,
It is said that stress incontinence is effective in about 85% of people.

[0006] Currently, it is mainly practiced to encourage pelvic floor muscle training exercises to such people with stress urinary incontinence, and in some hospitals, the gymnastics instruction is given. Due to the lack of guidance time and difficult medical fees, pelvic floor muscle training exercises are difficult to spread. There is also a pre-hospital problem that most patients do not come to the hospital because of shame or giving up that urinary incontinence will not be cured. Most such patients have been treated with sanitary napkins, but are not the primary treatment. It is even more difficult to treat urinary incontinence in hospitals in the sense of mild treatment / prevention, even if it is mild, without any motivation to go to the hospital.

Therefore, it is desirable to be able to easily exercise the pelvic floor muscles at home, but it is generally difficult to perceive the correct operation of the pelvic floor muscles. It is difficult to check whether the necessary muscles are trained in this way, and it is said that the exercises are said to be effective and exercises for about 10 minutes a day are continued for about 3 months. The practice of pelvic floor muscle exercises at home can be difficult due to the difficulty of habit formation.

[0008] Conventionally, as a device or device for assisting in learning how to move muscles for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, a method of inserting a cone into the vagina and tightening the muscles while paying attention so that the cone does not fall out of the vagina (particularly). Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-152449), measuring the myoelectricity of the abdominal muscle by attaching electrodes to the pants, or measuring the amount of air flowing out when the elastically deformed body inserted into the vagina is deformed by the vaginal pressure, (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-194560) are known.
Since stress urinary incontinence is more common in women, there is also known a device developed for the purpose of teaching at hospitals, in which a pressure gauge is inserted into the vagina and the intravaginal pressure is displayed numerically (US Patent No. 5,88).
1,731).

[0009]

However, in the conventional apparatus, since many women have stress urinary incontinence, vaginal pressure is measured at present, and the user may feel resistance or discomfort at the pressure gauge insertion site. There are also hygiene issues. In addition, since vaginal pressure is affected by abdominal pressure, it is difficult to distinguish the movement of muscles that are not necessary for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, and it is difficult to read the movement of the pelvic floor muscles from the displayed pressure value. . There are many people who cannot use the cone insertion method because it is not suitable for the body shape. There is a fundamental problem that these devices focused on vaginal pressure cannot be used for pelvic floor muscle training in male incontinent patients. Further, in a device in which electrodes are attached to pants and the myoelectricity of abdominal muscles is measured, it is actually difficult to properly obtain myoelectricity, and the cost of consumables is high.

[0010] A patient who wants to perform pelvic floor muscle training exercises needs a feedback device so that he or she can confirm whether or not the pelvic floor muscle strengthening is effectively performed. Without such a device, it is necessary to continuously exercise. Nevertheless, it is often wasteful, but in any case, the conventional apparatus does not serve as a sufficiently effective auxiliary means therefor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a technique for directly detecting the movement of the pelvic floor muscles to be strengthened and the movement of other unnecessary muscles. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus capable of training and strengthening only a group of pelvic floor muscles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus which is convenient for hygiene and practical use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus that can easily and enjoyably perform pelvic floor muscle training exercises at home.

Still another object of the present invention is to enable a doctor or an instructor to use a measurement result of muscle tension / relaxation at the time of training exercises later as a record of training and to use it as data useful for appropriate instruction. To provide a pelvic floor muscle training device.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be inserted into the anus and rectum, and has a shallow pressure-sensitive portion. A measuring part having a deep pressure sensing part, a connecting part having one end detachably connected to the measuring part, and pressure measuring information and deep feeling at the shallow pressure sensing part connected at the other end of the connecting part. A processing / display unit for processing and displaying pressure measurement information at the pressure unit is provided.

The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring section is detachable from one end of the connecting section and can be washed.

The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the measuring section is detachable from one end of the connecting section and is of a disposable type.

In the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the processing / display unit processes the pressure measurement information at the shallow pressure sensing unit and the pressure measurement information at the deep pressure sensing unit, and processes the information. It is characterized by performing a graphical display that changes according to the measurement information.

In the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing / display section stores the pressure measurement information at the shallow pressure sensing section and the pressure measurement information at the deep pressure sensing section, and reads them out later. It is characterized in that it can be output by

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus is configured such that the measuring section can be inserted into the anus and rectum, and the measuring section includes a shallow pressure sensing section and a deep pressure sensing section.
Therefore, when the measurement part is inserted into the anus and rectum, the shallow pressure-sensitive part is sensitive to the anal pressure and the deep pressure-sensitive part is sensitive to the rectal pressure. Intra-anal pressure corresponds to pressure due to contraction of the pelvic floor around the anus, and intra-rectal pressure changes in response to movement of other muscles such as the abdominal muscles. Therefore, the measurement part that can be inserted into the anus and rectum has a shallow pressure-sensitive part and a deep pressure-sensitive part, so that the movement of the pelvic floor muscle is detected separately from the movement of other muscles such as the abdominal muscle. It becomes possible. Since such pressure measurement information can be processed and displayed, pelvic floor muscle strengthening training can be effectively performed. In other words, training for strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor muscles is performed repeatedly by applying force in a manner of tightening the anus. In this case, it is not effective unless the pelvic floor muscles alone are consciously moved.
However, in the case of a normal person, power is also applied to the abdominal muscles and the like, and conversely, the pelvic floor muscles are often relaxed. According to this device, when performing the above-described training exercises, the movement of the pelvic floor muscles can be detected separately from the movements of other muscles such as the abdominal muscles, and the measurement results can be displayed. Trainees can easily understand how much effort should be made, and even when training alone at home, it is necessary to train and strengthen only the pelvic floor muscles that are directly necessary for urinary incontinence treatment. It can be performed effectively.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the measuring section is detachable from one end of the connecting section and can be washed, it can be used again after washing, and is sanitary and repeatable. Can withstand use.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, if the measuring section is disposable by being removed from one end of the connecting section, it is used once and then removed and disposable, and a new measuring section is attached and used during the next training. Can be so clean.

According to the fourth aspect, the processing / display unit processes the pressure measurement information at the shallow pressure sensing unit and the pressure measurement information at the deep pressure sensing unit, and changes the graphical information that changes according to the measurement information. Display, it is not a tasteless numerical display of the measurement result, but you can see the result happily visually,
Even when performing alone at home, it is easy to practice daily training without getting tired.

According to the fifth aspect, the processing / display section stores the pressure measurement information at the shallow pressure sensing section and the pressure measurement information at the deep pressure sensing section, and can read and output the information later. Because of this, it is possible to encourage them to make habits by omitting the training results themselves. Also, it is easy to report the training results at home to the doctor, and the doctor can give specific instructions based on the result, so that the guidance of the doctor becomes easier.

[0025]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a measurement unit 10, a connection unit 20, a processing / display unit 30.
Consists of The measurement unit 10 and the processing / display unit 30 are removably connected to each other by the connection unit 20. Measuring unit 10
Consists of an insertion portion 11 that can be inserted into the anus and rectum, and a base portion 12. An attachment / detachment portion 21 provided at one end of the connection portion 20 is detachably attached to the back surface of the base portion 12. The connecting portion 20 is formed of a bendable cable or a tube for transmitting air pressure. A connector portion 22 is provided at the other end, and a connector receiving portion 33 provided at an end of the casing 31 of the processing / display portion 30 is provided. It is designed to be detachably connected. The processing / display unit 30 has a liquid crystal display 32 mounted on an upper surface of a housing 31. Inside the housing 31, electric circuits such as a digital signal processing circuit and a liquid crystal display driver circuit are arranged. ing. Although not shown in the drawing, a speaker is built in, and a push button switch for operation and the like are provided on the upper surface of the housing 31 and the like.

The measuring section 10 is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the insertion portion 11 and the base portion 12 are integrally formed of a silicone resin or the like, and two hollow portions that are deformed by external pressure are formed as the pressure sensing portions 13 and 14. The pressure sensing part 13 is the base 1
It is made at a shallow position of about 2 to 20 mm,
Is formed at a position about 60 mm deep from the base 12. A ventilation pipe extending from each of the shallow pressure sensing portion 13 and the deep pressure sensing portion 14 to the base portion 12 extends.

An attaching / detaching portion 21 provided at one end of the connecting portion 20
Is detachably attached to the back surface of the base 12, but has two protrusions, and the hermetic connector 23 is formed by fitting the protrusions with the holes of the base 12. It is supposed to be. The pressure of the air in the pressure-sensitive portions 13 and 14 is transmitted to the attaching / detaching portion 21 via the airtight connector 23, further transmitted to the tube of the connecting portion 20, and reaches the pressure-sensitive sensors 24 and 25. . The pressure sensors 24 and 25 are composed of, for example, semiconductor pressure sensors, and are provided at the end or in the middle of the tube, and convert the transmitted pressure into an electric signal. This pressure sensor 24,
25 may be embedded in the attachment / detachment portion 21, in which case a cable for transmitting an electrical signal is attached to the attachment / detachment portion 2.
It will extend from 1.

The electric pressure signals from the pressure sensors 24 and 25 are transmitted to the connector 2 inserted into the connector receiver 33.
After that, it is input to the processing / display unit 30. The pressure sensors 24 and 25 may be incorporated in the processing / display unit 30. In this case, the air pressure is directly introduced into the processing / display unit 30 via the tube of the connection unit 20 and the connector unit 22.

In the processing / display unit 30, a signal corresponding to the internal pressure of the shallow pressure sensing unit 13 and a signal corresponding to the internal pressure of the deep pressure sensing unit 14 are digitized and processed. The graphics are changed according to the two pieces of pressure information, and the graphics are displayed on the liquid crystal display 32. Also, sound may be output simultaneously from a built-in speaker.

When performing pelvic floor muscle training exercises, the measuring unit 10
Is inserted into the rectum from the anus. Then, while watching the image projected on the liquid crystal display 32 of the processing / display unit 30, the exercise for strengthening the pelvis is performed by repeating the operation of applying force in a manner of tightening the anus. At this time, the shallow pressure sensing portion 13 of the insertion portion 11 is about 2
Since it is at a shallow position of about 0 mm, it responds to pressure corresponding to contraction of the pelvic floor around the anus. Further, since the deep pressure sensing part 14 has a depth of about 60 mm from the anal entrance, it responds to the rectal pressure without being affected by the anal pressure.
That is, in general, in order to measure the rectal pressure without being affected by the anal pressure, it is necessary to measure at a position 40 mm or more deeper from the anal entrance, but here, 60 m
m.

Therefore, an output corresponding to the contraction of the pelvic floor muscle around the anus is obtained from the pressure sensor 24 to which the pressure in the shallow pressure sensing section 13 is transmitted, and the pressure of the deep pressure sensing section 14 is transmitted. From the pressure sensor 25, it is possible to obtain an output in which only the rectal pressure is detected without being affected by the anal pressure. These signals are converted into digital signals in the processing / display unit 30 and then processed by a digital signal processing circuit. From the correlation between the two outputs, only the motion component of the pelvic floor muscle, from which the fluctuation in the rectal pressure has been removed, is obtained. The information to represent is retrieved. According to this information, for example, a certain symbol image is changed from a blurred shape to a clear shape, an image of a game sense that allows an arbitrary image to be assembled, or a movement of a pelvic floor muscle is simulated. It can be displayed as a realistic image.

Further, instead of changing the graphic only according to the information representing only the movement component of the pelvic floor muscle, other images are changed or an alarm sound is generated according to the rectal pressure component. It is also possible to inform the person who performs the exercises that there is unnecessary muscle movement.

Thus, the operator of the pelvic floor muscle training exercise can know the result of intentionally tightening the muscles on the screen of the liquid crystal display 32 of the processing / display unit 30.
By repeating the contraction and relaxation of the muscles while checking the results while looking at this image, it becomes possible to perceive the necessary movements of the pelvic floor muscles alone, effectively conducting pelvic floor muscle strengthening training It is possible to do. In addition, since the measurement result is not indicated by tasteless numbers or the like, but is displayed as an enjoyable graphic change, even when performing alone at home, it is possible to become a habit and practice training without getting tired.

This pelvic floor muscle training exercise needs to be repeated for about 10 minutes every day. However, since the measuring section 10 is detachably attached to the attaching / detaching section 21 of the connecting section 20, it is easy to wash and sanitize. Can be used repeatedly without any of the above problems. Also,
Since a hollow portion is simply formed in a silicon resin or the like, it is inexpensive, and a new one can be used as a disposable type at a time.

The processing / display unit 30 has a built-in memory, and measures the pressure measured by both the pressure sensing units 13 and 14 during the training or the movement of the pelvic floor muscle obtained as a result of processing them. The component and the rectal pressure component can be stored. For this reason, it can be read out later and displayed on the liquid crystal display 32 to reflect on the progress of its own training and to check the results, so that the training is encouraged and the daily training can be performed more easily. it can. Further, the stored measurement result can be output to the outside from the connector receiving portion 33 (or another terminal (not shown)) and used for printout. As described above, since both pressure fluctuations during training can be output later, it is convenient for the doctor to check the training progress and also to give the doctor specific instructions.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the measuring section 10. In FIG. 3, two pressure-sensitive sensors 24 and 25 are embedded in an insertion portion 11 formed of a silicone resin or the like, and a depth of about 20 mm and 60 m from the base 12.
An electric signal corresponding to the pressure at a position of about m can be directly obtained. Therefore, the detachable unit 21 and the measuring unit 10
When the base unit 12 is connected to the base unit 12, the electrical connection by the electrical connector 26 is made, and those electric signals are transmitted to the processing / display unit 30 through the cable.

When the measuring section 10 is configured as described above,
Since the measurement unit 10 is configured to be detachable from the attachment / detachment unit 21 of the connection unit 20, cleaning is easy, and the measurement unit 10 can be repeatedly used without any hygiene problems. Furthermore, the pressure sensors 24, 25
Can use an inexpensive semiconductor pressure sensor,
It can also be disposable. That is, it is not necessary to measure the pressure with high accuracy by the pressure-sensitive sensors 24 and 25, and it is only necessary to measure a rough pressure fluctuation, so that an inexpensive semiconductor pressure sensor can be used.

The above description relates to the embodiment of the present invention, and it is a matter of course that the present invention is not limited to the above description. The specific configuration and the like can be variously changed. For example, when the measuring unit 10 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, the fluctuation of the air pressure in the pressure sensing units 13 and 14 is not led to the pressure sensing sensors 24 and 25, but the inside of these pressure sensing units 13 and May be filled with a fluid such as silicon oil or water, and the pressure inside the pressure-sensitive portions 13 and 14 may be guided to the pressure-sensitive sensors 24 and 25 by these.

[0039]

As described above, according to the pelvic floor muscle training apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to assist the effective execution of the pelvic floor muscle strengthening training exercises, which is useful for the prevention and treatment of urinary incontinence. Can be. Not only female patients but also male patients can be used in the same way to learn the necessary muscle movements. There is no problem in terms of hygiene when used repeatedly. Even when the pelvic floor muscle strengthening training exercises are performed at home alone, the exercises can be performed happily and continuously every day without getting bored. Since the pressure measurement data can be stored and read out later, it can be used as a reflection material for oneself, encouraged, or used as a material for guidance of a doctor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a measuring unit and a detachable unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a measuring unit and a detachable unit according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Measurement part 11 Insertion part 12 Base part 13 Shallow pressure sensitive part 14 Deep pressure sensitive part 20 Connection part 21 Detachable part 22 Connector part 23 Airtight connector 24, 25 Pressure sensitive sensor 26 Electrical connector 30 Processing / display part 31 Housing 32 LCD display 33 Connector receiving part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A measuring part which can be inserted into the anus and rectum and has a shallow pressure sensing part and a deep pressure sensing part, and a connecting part one end of which is detachably connected to the measuring part. A pelvic floor, comprising: a processing / display unit connected to the other end of the connection unit to process and display the pressure measurement information at the shallow pressure sensing unit and the pressure measurement information at the deep pressure sensing unit. Muscle training equipment. 2. The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring section is detachable from one end of the connecting section so that the measuring section can be washed. 3. The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement section is disposable by being removed from one end of the connection section. 4. The processing / display unit processes the pressure measurement information in the shallow pressure sensing unit and the pressure measurement information in the deep pressure sensing unit, and performs a graphical display that changes according to the measurement information. The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a pelvic floor muscle training apparatus. 5. The processing / display section stores pressure measurement information in a shallow pressure sensing section and pressure measurement information in a deep pressure sensing section, and can read out and output the information later. The pelvic floor muscle training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein