JP2005052261A - Myodynamia evaluation apparatus and measuring instrument of musculus psoas major - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a myodynamia evaluation apparatus of the musculus psoas major quickly measuring and evaluating the myodynamia of the musculus psoas major with a lightweight and simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This myodynamia evaluation apparatus of the musculus psoas major is provided with a pair of movable arm parts 1A and 1B having one sides put along the left/right knee parts; a strain sensor part 10 turnably connecting and supporting the other end sides of the pair of movable arm parts 1A and 1B, disposed in a crotch part and detecting the strain caused by turning displacement associated with the opening/closing of the left/right knee parts of the pair of movable arm parts 1A and 1B; and a myodynamia evaluation means 20 calculating a torque according to the myodynamia of the musculus psoas major on the basis of the detecting result of the strain sensor part 10 and evaluating the myodynamia of the musculus psoas major. This apparatus quickly measures the myodynamia of the musculus psoas major of a subject M with the lightweight and simple constitution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for evaluating muscle strength of the psoas muscle and a muscle strength measuring instrument.

The psoas major muscle is a multi-joint muscle that begins with the lumbar spine and fuses with the iliac muscle that begins with the iliac bone, passes through the pelvic surface and ends in the femur.
The psoas major muscle is a typical muscle that cannot be seen between the spinal column and the internal organs, but is observed as a thick, clear muscle that runs to the left and right of the spinal column on an MRI (magnetic resonance) tomographic image of the lumbar region.

  The psoas majorly has the three functions of flexing the hip joint, tilting the pelvis forward in an upright posture, dorsiflexing by pulling the lumbar spine to the ventral side, and maintaining the S-shape of the spine There is.

  The function of bending the hip joint of the psoas major is related to the action of swinging the thigh forward or raising it high, and has a deep connection with the basic actions of sports such as running, jumping and kicking. Further, the action of swinging the thigh forward or raising the thigh is considered to be deeply related to walking ability in the case of elderly people.

  The function of tilting the pelvis of the psoas major and the function of maintaining the S-shape of the spine are thought to be closely related to the development of low back pain. That is, if the psoas major is weak, not only will the force of pulling the lumbar spine forward weaken, but the pelvis will tilt backwards, resulting in a loss of balance when standing up, leading to a so-called stoop. Conversely, if the psoas major is strong, the risk of low back pain is considered to be reduced.

Patent Document 1 discloses a quadriceps muscle strength measuring device that detects a load corresponding to a force when extending a lower limb on a medical table or the like by using a strain gauge.
However, the above-mentioned device is related to the strength measurement of the quadriceps muscle, and is not related to the muscle strength measurement and evaluation of the psoas major, and there is no other device related to the measurement and evaluation of the muscles of the psoas major. .
JP-A-11-290301

  The problem to be solved is to measure and evaluate the muscle strength of the psoas muscle quickly with a light and simple configuration in view of the fact that there is no simple device for measuring and evaluating the muscle strength of the subject's psoas muscle. It is to realize a muscle strength evaluation device and muscle strength measuring instrument for psoas muscle. It is possible to perform rational body prevention, rehabilitation, and the like based on the results of muscle strength evaluation and measurement of the psoas muscle.

  The present invention provides a pair of movable arm portions having one end side attached to left and right knee portions, and the pair of movable arms, in order to quickly measure muscle strength of the psoas muscle of a subject with a light and simple configuration. A strain sensor unit that rotatably supports the other end side of the unit and that is disposed in the crotch part and detects distortion caused by a rotational displacement interlocking with opening and closing of the left and right knee parts of the pair of movable arm parts And a muscular strength evaluation means for calculating a torque corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle based on the detection result of the strain sensor unit, and for evaluating the muscular strength of the psoas muscle.

According to the present invention, the muscle force of the psoas muscle can be obtained by the strain sensor unit and the signal processing unit in the muscle strength evaluation device by simply performing a simple operation in which the subject simply closes and opens both knees to the left and right. The torque value according to the above can be obtained, and the muscle strength of the psoas major of the subject can be quickly evaluated.
Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a muscle strength measuring instrument for the psoas muscle that has a simple configuration, can be reduced in weight, and can be easily installed on a subject.

  A strain sensor unit that is connected to the crotch part of the subject so that the other end side of the pair of movable arms can be pivotally connected to the subject's crotch part for the purpose of measuring and evaluating the muscles of the psoas muscle quickly with a lightweight, simple configuration. And one end side of a pair of movable arms is attached to the left and right knees, the distortion caused by the rotational displacement associated with the opening and closing of the subject's knees is detected by the strain sensor, and the distortion is evaluated by the muscle strength evaluation means This was realized by calculating the torque according to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle based on the detection result of the sensor unit.

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.
FIG. 1 shows a psoas muscle strength evaluation apparatus according to the present embodiment. This psoas muscle strength evaluation apparatus is attached to the left and right knee portions 30a, 30b of a subject M at one end side. The pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B and the other end side of the pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B are connected to each other so as to be rotatable, and are disposed in the crotch portion of the subject M, A strain sensor unit 10 that detects strain caused by rotational displacement interlocking with the opening and closing of the left and right knee portions 30a and 30b of the movable arm portions 1A and 1B, and the strain sensor unit 10 and the cable 13 are connected to each other. And muscle strength evaluation means 20 for performing muscle strength evaluation of the psoas major muscle of the subject M based on the detection result of the unit 10.
The pair of movable arm portions 1A and 1B and the strain sensor portion 10 constitute a muscle strength measuring instrument for the psoas major.

The pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B constituting the muscle strength measuring instrument for the psoas major muscle are a pair of attachment arms 2A, 2B respectively attached to the inside of the left and right thighs of the subject M, and A pair of auxiliary arms 3A and 3B connected to the attachment arms 2A and 2B, and a pair of substantially U-shaped knee-wrap pieces (protect) 4A attached to the pair of auxiliary arms 3A and 3B so as to surround the kneecaps respectively. 4B and a pair of fixing belts 5A and 5B that are wound around the knee portion and fix one end sides of the pair of additional arms 2A and 2B to the inside of the knee portion.
The knee-wrapping pieces 4A and 4B may be cup-shaped or may be provided with a flexible member such as felt.

The strain sensor unit 10 includes a sensor body 11 (FIG. 3) made of stainless steel that is mounted in a state where the other end sides of the pair of additional arms 2A and 2B are vertically arranged and form an angle of 30 degrees. It has a strain sensor 12 (FIG. 4) that is disposed in the sensor body 11 and detects a torque T accompanying the rotation of the pair of additional arms 2A, 2B.
The four-strain strain sensor 12 is configured using, for example, a self-temperature compensated strain gauge or a semiconductor strain gauge.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the sensor body 11 and the pair of additional arms 2A and 2B are connected to the other end sides of the pair of additional arms 2A and 2B. 16b, and prisms 11a and 11b are provided at the lower and upper parts of the sensor body 11, respectively, and the square hole part 16a of one of the attachment arms 2A is provided to the prism 11a of the lower part of the sensor body 11 and the other attachment arm 2B. These square holes 16b are mounted on the prisms 11b on the upper part of the sensor body 11, respectively.

Then, the rotational displacement of one additional arm 2A is transmitted to the lower part of the strain sensor 12 in the sensor body 11, and the rotational displacement of the other additional arm 2B is transmitted to the upper part of the strain sensor 12 in the sensor body 11. Thus, a torsional force is applied to the strain sensor 12 via the pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B as the knee portions 30a, 30b are opened and closed.
As shown in FIG. 2, the other end sides of the pair of attachment arms 2A and 2B are bent outward at an angle of 15 degrees, respectively, so as to achieve close contact with the inside of the knee portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of auxiliary arms 2A and 2B bend upward and downward, respectively, so that the pair of auxiliary arms 3A and 3B overlap when viewed from the side. It is an arrangement.

  The muscle strength evaluation means 20 is used to open and close the knees 30a and 30b, and a signal processing unit 21 that performs amplification of the output of the strain sensor 12, noise removal, AD conversion, torque calculation processing according to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle, and the like. For example, a data display unit 22 such as a liquid crystal display that displays data according to the muscle strength of the psoas major, and a printer 23 that prints data such as a thermal transfer method and an ink jet method are provided.

Next, a method of using the above-described psoas muscle strength evaluation apparatus will be described.
In the apparatus for evaluating muscle strength of the psoas muscle according to the present embodiment, if the effective length of the pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B is 25 cm and the force due to opening / closing of the knee portions 30a, 30b is 20 kg, for example, it acts on the strain sensor 12. The rated torque T to be applied is 500 (kg · cm).
Therefore, assuming that the diameter d (cm) of the shaft of the sensor body 11, ν, the output εe of the strain sensor 12, and the longitudinal elastic modulus E (kg · cm ² ), the output εe based on the rated torque T of the strain sensor 12 is 1 is required.

  When the diameter d (cm) of the shaft of the sensor body 11 is d = 1.88 (cm), 2.0 (cm), 2.5 (cm), each output εe is 1 kg · m = 0.01 kg · Considering that cm, 1 kg · m = 9.80665 Nm, the following formula 2 is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 1, first, the sensor body 11 of the muscle strength measuring device is disposed between the crotch of the subject M, and the subject M is used. A pair of additional arms 2A, 2B and a pair of auxiliary arms 3A, 3B in the pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B are attached inside the left and right thighs, respectively, for example at an angle of 30 degrees. Each of the kneecaps is surrounded by a pair of substantially U-shaped knee-wrapping pieces 4A and 4B.
In this state, the pair of fixing belts 5A and 5B are wound around the knee portion, and one end sides of the pair of additional arms 2A and 2B are fixed to the inside of the knee portion, respectively.

  In this way, the subject M on which the sensor body 11 and the pair of movable arm portions 1A and 1B are arranged first closes both knees inward with maximum force. Next, contrary to the case described above, it opens outward with maximum force.

As a result, based on the output of the strain sensor unit 10, the signal processing unit 21, for example, has a torque value of 237.1 Nm corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle when both knees are closed inward with the maximum force. The torque value is calculated as 247.3 Nm corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle when the knee is closed inward with the maximum force.
The calculation result is displayed on the data display unit 22 and printed by the printer 23 for use in evaluating the muscle strength of the psoas muscle.

According to the apparatus for evaluating muscle strength of the psoas muscle according to the present embodiment, the subject M simply performs an extremely simple operation of closing and opening his / her both knees to the left and right. By obtaining a torque value corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle by the strain sensor unit 10 and the signal processing unit 21, it is possible to quickly execute measurement and evaluation of the muscle force of the psoas muscle of the subject M.
And, according to the muscle strength measuring instrument of the psoas major muscle according to the present embodiment, it is a simple configuration comprising a pair of movable arm portions 1A, 1B and a strain sensor portion 10 for connecting them, thereby realizing a lightweight and compact design. In addition, it can be easily installed over the subject's crotch and thigh to knee, and the muscle strength of the psoas muscle of the subject M can be measured.
It is possible to perform rational body prevention, rehabilitation, and the like based on the results of muscle strength evaluation and measurement of the psoas muscle.

  In addition to the case described above, the present invention can be applied to muscle strength evaluation that involves opening and closing, such as the upper arm muscles of both arms, as long as it performs an operation of opening and closing muscles.

It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the muscle strength evaluation apparatus of the psoas muscle which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a top view of the sensor main body and the attachment arm in the muscle strength evaluation apparatus of the psoas major muscle concerning this example. It is a side view of the sensor main body and the attached arm in the muscle strength evaluation apparatus for psoas muscles according to the present example. It is a front view of the sensor main body in the muscle strength evaluation apparatus of the psoas major muscle concerning this example. It is a top view of the sensor main body in the muscle strength evaluation apparatus of the psoas major muscle concerning this example. It is a disassembled perspective view of the sensor main body and the attached arm in the muscle strength evaluation apparatus for psoas muscles according to the present embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

M Subject 1A, 1B Movable arm part 2A, 2B Additional arm 3A, 3B Auxiliary arm 4A, 4B Knee-wrapping piece 5A, 5B Fixed belt 10 Strain sensor part 11 Sensor body 11a, 11b Square column 12 Strain sensor 16a, 16b Angle Hole 20 Strength evaluation means 21 Signal processing unit 22 Data display unit 23 Printer

Claims (3)

A pair of movable arm parts with one end attached to the left and right knees;
The other end side of the pair of movable arm portions is rotatably supported and arranged at the crotch portion, and the distortion caused by the rotational displacement interlocked with the opening and closing of the left and right knee portions of the pair of movable arm portions. A strain sensor unit to detect;
A muscle strength evaluation means for calculating a torque corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle based on the detection result of the strain sensor unit, and for evaluating the muscle strength of the psoas muscle,
A device for evaluating muscular strength of the psoas muscle, comprising: A pair of attachment arms attached at one end to the left and right knees, a pair of auxiliary arms connected to each of the attachment arms, and a pair of abbreviations attached to the pair of auxiliary arms so as to surround each kneecap A pair of movable arm portions comprising: a U-shaped knee-wrapping piece; and a pair of fixing belts each of which is wound around the knee portion and fixes one end side of the pair of additional arms to the inside of the knee portion;
The other end of the pair of movable arms is connected and supported so as to be rotatable, and is disposed in the crotch portion to detect distortion caused by the rotational displacement interlocking with the opening and closing of the left and right knees of the pair of movable arms. A strain sensor unit including a strain sensor to be
A muscle strength evaluation means for calculating a torque corresponding to the muscle strength of the psoas muscle based on the detection result of the strain sensor unit, and for evaluating the muscle strength of the psoas muscle,
A device for evaluating muscular strength of the psoas muscle, comprising: A pair of attachment arms attached at one end to the left and right knees, a pair of auxiliary arms connected to each of the attachment arms, and a pair of abbreviations attached to the pair of auxiliary arms so as to surround each kneecap A pair of movable arm portions comprising: a U-shaped knee-wrapping piece; and a pair of fixing belts each of which is wound around the knee portion and fixes one end side of the pair of additional arms to the inside of the knee portion;
The other end of the pair of movable arms is connected and supported so as to be rotatable, and is disposed in the crotch portion to detect distortion caused by the rotational displacement interlocking with the opening and closing of the left and right knees of the pair of movable arms. A strain sensor unit including a strain sensor to
A muscle strength measuring instrument for the psoas muscle, which enables the measurement of muscle strength of the psoas muscle of the subject by opening and closing the subject's knee.

Images