JP2023157354A - Pelvic floor muscles ems exercise apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pelvic floor muscles EMS exercise apparatus which is capable of preventing urine leakage, feces leakage, prolapsus uteri, and proctocele and trains the pelvic floor muscles, thereby improving a sexual function as well.SOLUTION: A pelvic floor muscles EMS exercise apparatus 1 comprises: an EMS part 2 which is an electrostimulation apparatus having a waterproof structure and an integrated USB charging terminal, the electrostimulation apparatus having a plurality of electrodes 3 installed therein to apply electric stimulation to a position corresponding to the pelvic floor muscles; and concaves 11 and 12 for two hips which are provided on both of the sides of the EMS part 2 to place the right and left hips, thereby having a structure of adhering to the user's pelvic floor muscles when the user sits on the pelvic floor muscles EMS exercise apparatus 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device, and particularly to a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device suitable for easily training the pelvic floor muscle group.

The pelvic floor muscles refer to the muscles located at the bottom of the human pelvis.They are multiple membrane-like muscles that support organs such as the bladder, uterus, and rectum in the pelvis like a hammock and keep them in the correct position. Keep it. It also plays an important role in controlling defecation and urination. The pelvic floor muscle group has a three-layered structure: superficial, middle, and deep, and the superficial layer consists of the ischiocavernous muscle, bulbocavernosus muscle, urethral sphincter, and external anal sphincter. The urethral sphincter muscle tightens the urethra. The external anal sphincter has the function of closing the anus. The middle layer is composed of the superficial transverse perineal muscle and the deep transverse perineal muscle, and the superficial transverse perineal muscle has the function of maintaining the position of internal organs and closing the urethra. The deep transverse perineal muscle has the same function as the superficial transverse perineal muscle. The deep layer is composed of the anorectal muscles (puborectalis, pubococcygeus, iliococcygeus, rectococcygeus) and coccygeus muscles. The anal fistula muscles function to maintain the position of internal organs. The coccygeal muscle exists between the lower part of the sacrum and the outer edge of the coccyx, and originates from the sacral apex and attaches to the coccyx.

The main functions of the pelvic floor muscles include controlling urination and defecation, increasing postural stability, and supporting internal organs and keeping them in the correct position.

The strength of the pelvic floor muscles weakens due to aging, pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, etc. When the muscle strength (strength) of the pelvic floor muscles becomes weak, the pelvis becomes distorted, posture deteriorates, urinary leakage and frequent urination become more likely to occur, and the internal organs sag. This can lead to physical problems such as a bulging stomach, constipation, irregular menstruation, and worsening menstrual pain.

Therefore, in order to prevent these disorders, pelvic floor muscle group exercises (pelvic floor muscle exercises) have traditionally been performed. Such pelvic floor muscle exercises are carried out as a preventive measure against, for example, stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, overflow urinary incontinence, functional urinary incontinence, mixed urinary incontinence, and the like.

However, pelvic floor muscle group exercises require continuous training, which is troublesome.

As a simple way to train the pelvic floor muscles, the use of exercise equipment or training equipment is also popular.

A device that effectively exercises the pelvic floor muscles using a vibration massage type exercise aid (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-110459 (Patent Document 1)), and a device that causes muscle contraction mainly by electrical stimulation of muscles and motor nerves. EMS exercise equipment (EMS training equipment) is known for the purpose of strengthening muscle strength, preventing muscle atrophy, and suppressing spasticity.

There are various EMS exercise devices on the market that can easily strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor muscles, such as a type that is inserted into the genitals and a type that has electrodes installed inside the pants (shorts), but there are related patent documents. Examples thereof include JP-A No. 63-281662 (Patent Document 2), JP-A No. 2021-90820 (Patent Document 3), and Patent No. 6041171 (Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-110459 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-281662 JP2021-90820A Patent No. 6041171

Patent Document 1 discloses a horse-riding type rocking exercise device, which is provided with a contact portion that contacts the crotch portion corresponding to the pelvic floor muscles of the user when the user is seated on a seating portion for resting the lower back; The device is equipped with a mechanism that displaces the contact portion using an airbag built into the device. The rocking type exercise device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is large in size and expensive. In addition, the device requires a large amount of exercise and cannot be used alone at home by an elderly person or the like.

The above-mentioned document 2 is a device of the type that is inserted into the private parts, so it is troublesome to wear, and since the device is inserted into an important part of the human body, hygiene management becomes difficult.

The above-mentioned document 3 is a pelvic floor muscle strengthening device that can be used even when the user is fully clothed, but the operating mechanism of the device is complicated, and the device cannot be used by women, elderly people, etc. alone at home. It wasn't.

The above-mentioned document 4 provides a contact means for making the coccyx electrode pad come into close contact with the user's coccyx side, and when the user sits on the main body where the user can sit, the contact means deforms and the coccyx electrode pad is brought into close contact with the user's coccyx. Although it is a pelvic floor muscle strengthening device that is attached closely to the side, it was not enough to just target the coccyx.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device that can prevent urine leakage, fecal leakage, uterine prolapse, and rectal prolapse, and improve sexual function. An object of the present invention is to provide an EMS exercise device for the plantar muscle group.

In order to achieve the above object, the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present invention has the following configuration.

The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is a waterproof structure, an electrical stimulation device with an integrated USB charging terminal, and a plurality of electrodes are installed at positions corresponding to the pelvic floor muscle group. It is equipped with an EMS section that provides electrical stimulation, and two buttock depressions for placing the left and right buttocks on both sides of the EMS section, and has a structure that fits tightly against the user's pelvic floor muscles when the user is seated. (corresponding to claim 1).

In addition to the above configuration, the electrode is a carbon graphene electrode (corresponding to claim 2).

In addition to the above configuration, the carbon graphene electrode is an exposed transparent electrode (corresponding to claim 3).

The EMS section is an elastic member having an inclined structure (corresponding to claim 4).

The USB charging terminal is of type C that supports power delivery (corresponding to claim 5).

The USB charging terminal has a waterproof lid (corresponding to claim 6).

The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is made of an elastic rubber material (corresponding to claim 7).

When the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is used for a predetermined period of time, the power is automatically turned off (corresponding to claim 8).

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device that can prevent urine leakage, fecal leakage, uterine prolapse, and rectal prolapse, and can also improve sexual function by training the pelvic floor muscle group. Connect.

The drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the present invention according to the present disclosure, and include not only essential components of the invention, but also alternative and preferred embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (rear view) of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device in use according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a charging USB conversion adapter and a connecting USB cable in the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment. The functional block diagram of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of this embodiment. The charging operation flowchart of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exercise operation flow diagram of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of the present embodiment.

The details of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments include not only essential requirements of the present invention but also requirements that can be selectively adopted and requirements that can be combined as appropriate.

<Embodiment>
The present embodiment is a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device, which has a waterproof structure, is an electrical stimulation device with an integrated USB charging terminal, and has a plurality of electrodes installed for the pelvic floor muscle group. An EMS section that applies electrical stimulation to positions corresponding to It is a structure. With this structure, users can train their pelvic floor muscles by simply placing their buttocks on the buttock cavity after taking a bath, turning on the EMS exercise equipment, and waiting for a predetermined period of time (for example, 10 minutes). can be implemented.

<Configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 of this embodiment includes an EMS section 2, a carbon graphene electrode 3, a power switch 4, an ON/OFF indicator 5, and a pulse intensity ( It has a strong/medium/weak) changeover switch 6, a strong indicator 7, a medium indicator 8, a weak indicator 9, a USB charging terminal 10 with a waterproof lid, and buttock recesses 11 and 12. This pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is installed by a user 13 on an installation stand (slat) 14 in a front room (dressing room) of a bathroom, etc. or an installation stand (chair) 14a in a living room (Fig. 4, (See Figure 5). By simply placing the buttocks (buttocks) on the buttock depressions 11 and 12 by the user 13 (see FIG. 3), the user's private parts (vulva) come into contact with the carbon graphene electrode 3, allowing muscle training of the pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is available in sizes S (small), M (medium), and L (large) according to the size of the human buttocks so that it can be used by men, women, adults, children, etc. , LL (extra large), etc. may be provided.

<Explanation of configuration>
The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is used by the user 13 in the state shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, with the user's 13's buttocks resting on the EMS part 2. (See Figure 3).
In the example of FIG. 4, the installation table 14 is, for example, a "slatted board", and the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is installed on the installation table 14, the user 13 is seated on the device 1, and the user It shows the user completely naked and covered with a bath towel. In the example of FIG. 5, the installation table 14a is a chair, the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is installed on the installation table 14a, the user 13 is seated on the device 1, and the user is wearing a half-body bathrobe. It is shown in use with a bath towel over it. In the example of FIG. 5, nothing is attached to the lower body, and the EMS unit 2 is in direct contact with the private parts.

Actually, a plurality of carbon graphene electrodes 3 are installed on the EMS section 2. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, six carbon graphene electrodes 3 are placed, three on each side, but the invention is not limited to this, and electrical stimulation (muscle stimulation) is applied to the entire pelvic floor muscle group. Any arrangement that allows for this is fine. The carbon graphene electrode 3 is configured in the form of a transparent electrode sheet with multiple layers of graphene sheets (sheets with a structure in which a honeycomb structure spread in two dimensions by laying hexagons due to bonding between carbon atoms), and the EMS part 2 is restored. It is an elastic member with a tilted structure that has strength, and when the buttocks are placed on it, it deforms and maintains close contact with the user's pelvic floor muscles. That is, a plurality of carbon graphene electrodes 3 are connected to the pelvic floor muscle group (ischiocavernous muscle, bulbocavernosus muscle, urethral sphincter muscle, external anal sphincter superficial transverse perineal muscle, deep transverse perineal muscle, anorectalis muscle (puborectalis muscle, It is arranged so that electrical stimulation (muscle stimulation) can be applied to the entire pubococcygeus muscle, iliococcygeus muscle, rectococcygeus muscle, and coccygeus muscle, and is configured to maintain close contact. The usage scenario is that it will be used in the bathroom or living room, such as after taking a bath. When in use, the lower body is exposed and the private part (vulva) is brought into direct contact with the carbon graphene electrode 3. The action of the carbon graphene electrode 3 provides muscle strength (muscle) training for the entire pelvic floor muscle group of the user 13. The user 13 does not have to particularly consciously train, and can do muscle strength training while watching TV, listening to music, or taking a relaxing break after taking a bath. This allows the user to easily perform muscle strength training, thereby contributing to the continuity of training.

The EMS unit 2 has a plurality of carbon graphene electrodes 3 that electrically stimulate the pelvic floor muscle group (the entirety) of the user 13, and has a shape that extends from the buttocks to the groin. The EMS section is made of an elastic material with restoring force (for example, silicone rubber), and when the user 13 places his buttocks on it, it deforms and comes into close contact with the groin due to the restoring force of the elastic material. The carbon graphene electrode 3 is an exposed electrode, and is used by spraying atomized water onto the exposed electrode using an atomizer to improve conductivity. It is desirable that the material be one that can be easily sterilized with alcohol even if it gets wet with a quick wipe with a towel. This pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is intended to be used after taking a bath, so it can be used even when the body is wet, so it is not necessarily necessary to spray water with an atomizer. The entire pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is made of an elastic rubber material and has a waterproof structure (for example, IP54). It is desirable that the various switches also have waterproof specifications (for example, IP54).

The reason why the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is intended to be used after taking a bath is because the device is applied directly to the private parts of the human body (vulva), so the timing after getting out of the bath is ideal for washing and cleansing the body. This is because it is considered to be hygienic. For hygiene reasons, it is recommended that each person use one device.

Each member of the operating system is provided on the upper surface of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 in a waterproof manner. A rechargeable battery (not shown) (for example, a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, etc.) is housed inside the device, and power is supplied to the carbon graphene electrode provided in the EMS section 2. Here, the carbon graphene electrode and a rechargeable battery (not shown) are connected via an internally connected power cable (not shown) or a circuit board (not shown), and are supplied with power.

The power switch 4 can be turned on or off by pressing the button.

The ON/OFF indicator 5 includes an LED lamp or the like so that the power ON or OFF state can be visually confirmed, and the lamp is turned off, lit, blinking, etc. For example, a lighted display indicates the power ON state, and an off light indicates the power OFF state to the user.

The pulse intensity changeover switch 6 is a push button type switch that changes the intensity of the pulse supplied to the carbon graphene electrode 12. In the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2, there are switching modes such as "weak", "medium", and "strong", and the electrical stimulation intensity can be easily changed by simply pressing the pulse intensity changeover switch 6. It can be easily operated even by inexperienced women or elderly people. The current pulse intensity can be visually recognized by the user by displaying the strong indicator 7, medium indicator 8, and weak indicator 9. A strong indicator 7 indicates that the pulse intensity is high, a medium indicator 8 indicates that the pulse intensity is medium, and a weak indicator 9 indicates that the pulse intensity is weak.

A charging indicator may be provided that causes an LED lamp to blink while the rechargeable battery is being charged, and turns off the LED lamp when charging is complete. The display form of the LED lamp may be changed as appropriate. For example, the display may be displayed blinking during charging, and may be displayed continuously when charging is complete. For charging, remove the waterproof lid shown in FIG. 1 (indicated by diagonal lines in 10 in FIG. 1) and connect the USB type C connector 15, which is one end of the USB cable 16, to the USB charging terminal (for example, USB type C). This is performed with the USB connector 17, which is the other end of the USB cable 16, connected to the USB power conversion adapter 18 (see FIG. 6). The example in FIG. 6 shows a state in which the USB cable 16 is removed from the USB power conversion adapter 18, and the connection state is a commonly known method, so illustration is omitted. The pulses are supplied to the EMS unit 2 from a rechargeable battery that is connected to a rechargeable battery (not shown) built into the EMS exercise equipment 1 by passing a cable through the equipment. After charging is completed, the EMS exercise equipment 1 can be used by removing the USB cable.

The buttock recesses 11 and 12 are recesses for allowing the user's buttocks to fit snugly into the device. This increases the degree of close contact between the pelvic floor muscles in the user's groin area and the carbon graphene electrode 3 of the EMS section 2.

The user 13 may be an elderly person whose pelvic floor muscles have weakened due to aging, a woman who has given birth, or an adult or child whose pelvic floor muscles have weakened due to lack of exercise or obesity. However, children can use the EMS exercise equipment 1 if they are around 10 years old and have the ability to properly operate it.

The USB power conversion adapter 18 has a shape as shown in FIG. 6, and converts the AC voltage of the AC power source into a DC voltage, for example, 5V voltage, and supplies power to the rechargeable battery. The USB charging terminal 10 is a type C type that supports power delivery, and can use a plurality of voltages. Since there is a possibility of getting wet while using the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1, a waterproof lid (for example, a waterproof cap made of silicone rubber, etc.) is provided to prevent water from entering the USB charging terminal 10. (indicated by the diagonal line 10 in FIG. 1).

One end of the USB cable 16 is equipped with a 24-pin USB type C connector 15, and the other end is equipped with a normal USB connector 17.

Hereinafter, the charging operation of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 8.

<Charging operation of pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise equipment>
First, as shown in FIG. 8, connect the USB type C connector 15 at one end of the USB cable 16 to the USB type C connector charging terminal 10 of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 body, and connect the USB type C connector 17 at the other end When the USB power conversion adapter 18 is connected to the power supply conversion adapter 18 and the USB power conversion adapter 18 is inserted into a commercial power outlet (not shown) (step 101), charging is started (step 102). During charging, an LED lamp of a charging indicator (not shown) blinks. When charging is completed, a charging indicator (not shown) turns off or lights up constantly to notify and confirm charging completion to the user (step 103). As a result, charging is completed and the EMS exercise equipment 1 can be used.

The exercise (training) operation of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

<Exercise motion of pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise equipment>
First, as shown in FIG. 9, the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1 is prepared in advance (step 201). It is assumed that a charged EMS exercise equipment 1 is prepared in advance.

In the state shown in FIG. 4 or 5, the user 13 places his buttocks on the EMS exercise equipment 1 as shown in FIG. 3 (step 202). When the user extends his arm (not shown) while resting his buttocks and turns on the power switch 4, the power is turned on (step 203). The pulse intensity changeover switch 6 is pressed to set the EMS mode (step 204). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the corresponding indicators 7, 8, and 9 are displayed depending on the EMS mode. The motion is performed for a predetermined period of time (for example, 10 minutes), muscle strengthening exercises (training) are performed, and the pelvic floor muscles are strengthened. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed (step 205), the power is automatically turned off (step 206). Here, the predetermined time does not necessarily need to be limited to 10 minutes, and a setting switch may be provided to shorten or lengthen the time, or to change it as appropriate according to the physical condition of the user.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device includes an operation section 19, a control section 20, a notification section 21, a power supply section 22, a pulse generation section 23, a pelvic floor muscle electrode area 24, 25, 26, a USB charging terminal 27, a rechargeable battery 28, a charging control section 29, and an AC adapter 30. Functions other than the electrode areas 24, 25, and 26 for pelvic floor muscles can be the same as known means. In the example of FIG. 7, the six carbon graphene electrodes 2 shown in FIG. 1 or 2 are divided into three electrode areas: an upper part, a middle part, and a lower part, and electrode areas for pelvic floor muscles 24, 25, An example is shown in which each of the electrodes 26 is composed of two carbon graphene electrodes 3. According to this configuration, muscular strength training can be performed by applying electrical stimulation to a specific part of the pelvic floor muscle group, or by simultaneously applying a pulse signal (EMS signal) by setting the whole mode. Moreover, the electrode areas 24, 25, and 26 for pelvic floor muscles may be integrally configured, and the carbon graphene electrodes may be operated integrally. The pulse pattern of the EMS mode may be changed periodically or automatically as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the carbon graphene electrode 3 is an exposed transparent electrode sheet, but an exposed cloth electrode containing fibers containing carbon graphene may be prepared and installed in the EMS section 2. In this case, it is possible to increase the fit when the buttocks are placed on the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device 1. Furthermore, the carbon graphene electrode 3 does not necessarily need to be made of a transparent electrode sheet, and may be of any color such as red, blue, black, or orange. This makes it possible to improve the user's ability to identify the device.

The electrode pad may be constructed using a flexible conductive silicone rubber composite material (sheet) in which single-wall nanocarbon nanotubes (CNTs) are highly dispersed in silicone rubber. Note that the electrode does not necessarily need to be a carbon graphene electrode as long as it can provide EMS stimulation to the pelvic floor muscle group. For example, a highly conductive pad may be pasted on top of a conventional electrode to ensure waterproofness.

In this way, in the embodiment described above, the entire pelvic floor muscle group is trained through muscle training, so that the user can prevent urine leakage and fecal leakage, and also prevent uterine and rectal prolapse. It also leads to improved sexual function.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device that can prevent urine leakage, fecal leakage, uterine prolapse, and rectal prolapse, and improve sexual function by training the pelvic floor muscle group. It also leads to improvement.

1 Pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise equipment 2 EMS section 3 Carbon graphene electrode 4 Power switch 5 ON/OFF indicator 6 Pulse intensity selection switch 7 Strong indicator 8 Medium indicator 9 Weak indicator 10 USB charging terminal 11 Buttock recess 12 Buttock recess 13 User 14 Installation stand (slatted board)
14a Installation stand (chair)
15 USB type C connector 16 USB cable 17 USB connector 18 USB power conversion adapter

Claims (8)

The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is a waterproof structure, an electrical stimulation device with an integrated USB charging terminal, and a plurality of electrodes are installed at positions corresponding to the pelvic floor muscle group. It is equipped with an EMS section that applies electrical stimulation, and two buttock depressions for placing the left and right buttocks on both sides of the EMS section, and has a structure that comes into close contact with the pelvic floor muscles of the user when the user is seated. A pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device featuring: The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is a carbon graphene electrode. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carbon graphene electrode is an exposed transparent electrode. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the EMS section is an elastic member having an inclined structure. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the USB charging terminal is a type C type that supports power delivery. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the USB charging terminal has a waterproof lid. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is made of an elastic rubber material. The pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the pelvic floor muscle group EMS exercise device is automatically powered off after being used for a predetermined period of time.