JP6312908B1 - Finger training equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a load adjustment function capable of individually adjusting a load for an IP joint bending and stretching and a load for an MP joint bending and stretching during a finger bending and stretching exercise in addition to applying a load in a finger extending direction To provide excellent hand training equipment. SOLUTION: A back-type wearing tool 1; a ring-type wearing tool 2 · 2 provided with a ring member 21 and a pair of wire spring members 22 · 22; and an annular elastomer member 3 · 3 ··· having elasticity. Are formed on the body portion of the back-type wearing device 1 and the ring member 21 of the ring-type wearing device 2 with a pair of hook portions FF ', respectively. By attaching the annular elastomer member 3 to the portions F and F ′, the hand-mounted wearing tool 1 and the ring-type wearing tool 2 in a worn state can be connected. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is an improvement of a finger training device, specifically, not only can strengthen the muscle strength of the finger, but also can suppress the overstraining (stiffness) of the muscles of patients with spasticity and assist the bending and stretching movement of the finger, The present invention also relates to a finger training instrument that can individually perform load adjustment for bending and stretching movements of IP joints and load adjustment for bending and stretching movements of MP joints.

  As is well known, in the medical field, training (rehabilitation) to restore the motor function of the fingers for patients who have been unable to smoothly perform flexion and extension of the fingers (movement to grab or pick objects) due to illness or injury. Hereinafter referred to as “rehabilitation”). In addition, this rehabilitation includes not only training to strengthen weakened finger muscle strength but also training to improve upper limb paralysis due to cerebrovascular disorder.

  On the other hand, conventionally, various rehabilitation instruments have been developed as tools for assisting in the exercise of bending and stretching movements of the fingers. For example, in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a fixing tool attached to the wrist is used. A technique for applying a load (or pulling a finger in the extending direction) by applying a ring or the like on the distal end side of a rubber string extending from the finger to the finger is disclosed.

  However, with respect to the prior art using the rubber cord, the load (traction force) for the bending and stretching motion of the MP joint and the load for the bending and stretching motion of the IP joint are applied by the same elastic member (rubber cord). The load for flexion and extension could not be adjusted individually. For this reason, in rehabilitation in which the state of fingers differs depending on the patient, there is a drawback that the load cannot be finely adjusted according to the patient.

  In addition, since the conventional technique has a structure that relies on a rubber string for the load on the bending and stretching movements of the fingers, the direction and size of the load could not be finely adjusted. Therefore, for a patient contracted in a state where the IP joint of the finger is bent due to paralysis of the upper limb or the like, the direction and size of the load could not be partially adjusted according to the bending state of the patient's finger.

  Conventionally, a rehabilitation instrument using a metal wire as an elastic member as described in Patent Document 4 is also known, but this conventional technique is similar to the conventional technique using a rubber string. In addition to not being able to perform individual load adjustments for the bending and stretching movements of the IP joint and the MP joint, since the metal wire is arranged at a position away from the finger, the load direction is accurately adjusted along the bending and stretching direction of the finger. I couldn't.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-133504 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-71162 Utility Model Registration No. 3146959 Utility Model Registration No. 3184390

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and the object of the present invention is not only to strengthen muscle strength by applying a load in the direction of finger extension during finger flexion and extension movement, Even if the patient has spasticity by traction, it can suppress muscle over-tension, and it has excellent load adjustment function that can individually adjust the load on the bending and stretching movements of the IP joint and the bending and stretching movements of the MP joint. Is to provide.

  Means employed by the present inventor for solving the above-described problems will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  That is, the present invention provides a finger training instrument used by being attached to a hand to assist bending and stretching movements of a finger, and includes a main body portion made of a hard material that can be attached to a wrist portion, and the main body portion is A hand-type mounting device 1 having a shape capable of covering the back part of the hand; a ring member 21 made of a hard material that can be attached to the base part of the finger, and a pair of wire spring members 22 arranged in parallel along both sides of the finger A ring-type mounting device 2, 2 including a pair of wire spring members 22, 22 fixed to the ring member 21, and having a distal end side connected to a U shape via a finger hook 23. ..; And including a ring-shaped elastomer member 3, 3... Having stretchability, and a pair of hooks on the main body portion of the back-type wearing device 1 and the ring member 21 of the ring-type wearing device 2. By providing the parts F and F ', these hook parts F It is characterized in that by attaching the annular elastomer member 3 to F ′, the hand-mounted wearing tool 1 and the ring-type wearing tool 2 in a worn state can be connected.

  Further, the hook part F of the main body part of the hand-mounted wearing tool 1 is provided at a part covering the MP joint of the finger or the vicinity where the ring member 21 provided with the hook part F ′ which is paired at the time of wearing is attached. Thereby, when it connects with the cyclic | annular elastomer member 3, a load can be given to an appropriate direction along the operation | movement direction of a finger | toe.

  Further, in the present invention, the shape spring alloy that can be easily arranged in a narrow space between fingers as the wire spring members 22 and 22 of the ring-type wearing tool 2 can be adjusted more easily than the coil spring or the torsion spring. It is preferred to use a non-spiral wire consisting of

  Further, in the present invention, as the ring-type wearing device 2, at least for the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger ring-type wearing devices 2, 2... So that four fingers can be trained simultaneously. It is preferable to include it.

  Further, in the present invention, the thermoplastic resin is used as the material of the main body of the back-type mounting tool 1, and the main body can be formed into a curved shape along the shape of the wrist and the back of the hand. In addition to being excellent, the direction of the load by the annular elastomer member 4 can be accurately adjusted according to the shape of the user's hand. Further, the use of a thermoplastic resin does not cause a problem of feeling cold like a metal at the time of mounting.

  Further, in the present invention, the finger-holding portion 23 of the ring-type wearing tool 2 can be formed thicker than the wire spring members 22 and 22, thereby increasing the contact area with the fingers and distributing the pressure to thereby spread the finger-hanging portion. Since it can prevent biting into 23 fingers, the fingers are unlikely to hurt even if used for a long time.

  In the finger training instrument of the present invention, a load can be applied to the bending and stretching movement of the finger by the wire spring member of the ring-type wearing tool and the annular elastomer member that connects the ring-type wearing tool and the back-type wearing tool. Therefore, not only can the muscle strength of the fingers be strengthened by the muscle resistance exercise, but also in the rehabilitation of a patient with spasticity, the fingers can be assisted while pulling the fingers in the extension direction and suppressing the muscle over-tension.

  In addition, in the present invention, the wire spring member is used as a load source for the bending and stretching motions of the IP joint, and the annular elastomer member is used as the load source for the bending and stretching motions of the MP joint. Can be adjusted individually. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform fine load adjustment suitable for function recovery according to the state of fingers of the rehabilitation patient.

  In the present invention, since the wire spring members are arranged along both sides of the finger, the shape of the wire spring member is changed in accordance with the bending state of the finger even in a patient with a contracted finger joint. Thus, the direction and size of the load can be adjusted as appropriate. Moreover, in this invention, since the wire spring member and the cyclic | annular elastomer member are arrange | positioned near fingers, the direction of load can be made to follow the bending direction of fingers.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to finely adjust the load in accordance with the state of the user's finger, and the finger suitable for rehabilitation use (particularly rehabilitation for a patient with spasticity) capable of dealing with the joint contracture of the finger. Since a training instrument can be provided, the practical utility value of the present invention is very high.

It is a whole perspective view showing the instrument for finger training in Example 1 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing showing a mounting state of the instrument for finger training in Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing a mounting state of the instrument for finger training in Example 1 of this invention. It is a whole perspective view showing the ring type wearing tool in Example 1 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the use condition of the instrument for finger training in Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the use condition of the instrument for finger training in Example 1 of this invention.

“Example 1”
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, what is indicated by reference numeral 1 is a back-type wearing tool, and what is indicated by reference numeral 2 is a ring-type wearing tool. What is indicated by reference numeral 3 is an annular elastomer member.

"Structure, wearing method and usage of finger training equipment"
[1] Basic configuration of finger training instrument First, the basic configuration of the finger training instrument will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a hand-type wearing device 1 having a main body part capable of covering the back of the hand, and a ring in which a ring member 21, a wire spring member 22, 22 and a finger hook 23 are integrated. A finger training instrument is made up of three parts: a mold mounting tool 2... 2 and an annular elastomer member 3 3. In addition, the main body portion of the back-type wearing device 1 and the ring member 21 of the ring-type wearing device 2 are provided with hook portions F and F ′ as a pair.

[2] Method for Wearing Hand Training Equipment Next, a method for wearing the hand training equipment will be described. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, first, the back-type mounting device 1 is mounted on the wrist, and the ring-type mounting devices 2, 2... Are attached to the base of the finger (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger).・ Insert 21…. At this time, the wire spring members 22 and 22 of the ring-type wearing devices 2 and 2 are arranged along both sides of the fingers, and the finger-hanging portions 23 of the ring-type wearing devices 2 and 2 are arranged on the fingers near the DIP joint. Arrange it so that it touches the belly.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the ring-shaped elastomer members 3, 3... Are attached to the hook portions F, F ′ provided on the ring member 21 of the ring-type wearing device 1 and the main body portion of the back wearing device 1. The hook-shaped wearing tool 1 and the ring-type wearing tools 2, 2. Thereby, the back-type wearing tool 1 and the ring-type wearing tools 2, 2... Are connected while being pulled by the annular elastomer members 3.

[3] About the back-type fittings << Material for the main body >>
Next, each part of the instrument for finger training will be described. First, with respect to the back-type wearing tool 1, a main body portion having a shape capable of covering the back of the hand is formed of a hard material. In this embodiment, a medical thermoplastic resin (polyvinyl alcohol) is used for the main body portion, and the main body portion is formed into a curved shape along the shape of the wrist and the back of the hand. As the material of the main body, other plastic materials, metal materials, hard rubber, etc. should be used as long as they are hard materials (materials that are rigid enough not to be deformed by the load when the annular elastomer member 3 is hung). Can do.

《Attached part structure》
As for the attachment part 11 to the wrist of the back-type wearing tool 1, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, one end of the main body is formed in a circular arc shape that can cover the wrist more than half. The main body can be fixed to the wrist by expanding this portion by elastic deformation and inserting the wrist. However, as for the structure of this mounting part, other structures can be adopted as long as the main body can be fixed to the wrist.For example, a belt member that can be wound around the wrist and attached to the main body or attached to the forearm A site to be fixed can also be provided.

<Hook layout>
In addition, regarding the hook portions F, F,... Provided on the main body portion of the above-described hand-type mounting tool 1, in this embodiment, the finger MP joint (specifically, the hook portion F ′ that is paired when worn) is provided. (MP joint of the finger to which the ring member 21 is attached) or a portion covering the vicinity thereof (the reason will be described later). In this embodiment, four hook portions F, F,... Are provided in the main body portion so as to correspond to the ring-type wearing tool 2.

[4] Ring-type wearing device << Overall configuration of ring-type wearing device >>
Next, with respect to the ring-type wearing tool 2, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of wire spring members 22, 22 arranged in parallel along both sides of the finger with respect to the ring member 21 that can be worn to the base of the finger. The base end sides of the pair of wire spring members 22 and 22 are fixed to each other while the distal end sides of the pair of wire spring members 22 and 22 are connected to the U shape via the finger hook portions 23, and a hook portion F 'is provided at a predetermined position on the ring member 21 Is configured.

<Ring material>
Further, regarding the material of the ring member 21, in this embodiment, the same medical thermoplastic resin (polyvinyl alcohol) as that of the back-mounted wearing device 1 is used, but when the hard material (the annular elastomer member 3 is hung) is used. Other plastic materials, metal materials, hard rubber, and the like can be used as long as they are materials that are rigid enough not to be deformed by the load.

《Material spring shape and shape adjustment method for elastic repulsion force》
As for the wire spring members 22 and 22, a non-helical curved wire made of a shape memory alloy is used in this embodiment (the reason will be described later). However, a helical wire such as a coil spring or a torsion spring can also be used. In addition, when using a non-helical curved wire made of a shape memory alloy for the wire spring members 22 and 22, as a method of adjusting the elastic repulsion force, the size of the entire curve can be changed, or the bent portion can be changed. It is possible to adopt a method of providing a part or changing the material and thickness of the metal wire.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of wire spring members 22 and 22 arranged on both sides of the finger are formed by bending a wire made of a shape memory alloy into a U shape. A predetermined repulsive force is obtained by bending a predetermined portion of the wire used as the wire spring members 22 and 22 upward. In this embodiment, the U-shaped bent portion of the wire is covered with a thermoplastic material to form a finger hook portion 23, and both ends of the U-shaped wire are embedded in a resin material to form a ring member 21. It is fixed. At this time, by fixing the base portions of the wire spring members 22 and 22 bent upward to the ring member 21 like a curved beam, the wire spring members 22 and 22 22 can be flexibly deformed.

《Hands to be attached》
Further, in this embodiment, four ring-type attachments for the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger with different sizes of the ring member 21 and the length of the wire spring member 22 so that four fingers can be trained simultaneously. We are making tools 2 ... 2 but the number of fingers to be attached to the ring-type wearing tool 2 may be 5 or less depending on the state of the user's fingers and the training method. You can also.

《Finger part shape / materials》
Further, in the present embodiment, the shape of the finger hook portion 23 is formed to be thicker than the wire spring members 22 and 22 (the reason will be described later) as shown in FIG. Further, in this embodiment, the finger-hanging portion 23 has a shape facing the lower side (direction perpendicular to the length direction of the wire spring members 22 and 22) along the belly of the finger. Further, as the material of the finger hook portion 23, in the present embodiment, the same thermoplastic resin as that of the ring member 21 is used, but it is not particularly limited to a hard material, and a flexible elastomer material can also be used. It can also be formed from two or more types of materials (for example, a material in which the periphery of a hard core is covered with a flexible material).

[5] Regarding the cyclic elastomer member << Type of cyclic elastomer member, tension adjusting method >>
Next, with respect to the annular elastomer member 3, in this embodiment, a rubber string tied in a ring shape is used, but an elastomer material molded in a ring shape (knotless one) should be used. You can also. In the present embodiment, the ring-shaped elastomer member 3 has a ring shape as a whole, but it is also possible to use a ring portion that is hooked to the hook portions F and F ′ at both ends. it can. Moreover, regarding the adjustment method of the tension | tensile_strength of the cyclic | annular elastomer member 3, it can adjust according to the kind and thickness of an elastomer material, the magnitude | size of a ring, and the number to be used.

[6] Shape of Hook Part Next, the shape of the hook parts F and F ′ provided in the back-type wearing tool 1 and the ring-type wearing tool 2 will be supplementarily described. In the present embodiment, the hook portions F and F ′ to be paired are bent to face each other so that the annular elastomer member 3 is not easily detached and can be easily mounted. Regarding the shape of the hook portion F · F ′, one of the hook portions F · F ′ can be formed in a ring shape so that the annular elastomer member 3 is not detached (not shown).

[7] How to use hand training equipment 《Basic usage》
Next, the usage method after mounting | wearing the said instrument for finger training is demonstrated. First, as a basic usage method, as shown in FIG. 5, an operation for bending and stretching a finger (for example, an operation for grasping an object, an operation for grasping an object, or an operation for grasping a hand) with a finger training instrument attached to the hand. Thus, it is possible to apply a load due to the elastic repulsion force of the wire spring members 22 and 22 bent with respect to the finger and a load due to the tension of the expanded annular elastomer member 3.

  As a result, not only can the muscle strength of the fingers be trained, but a user with spasticity can exert a load (traction force) in the direction of finger extension when the user flexes and extends the finger, so the bent finger is still stiff. It is possible to assist in returning to the original stretched state without any action (muscle over-tension can be suppressed by a hand training device).

<< Individual adjustment of load for each joint >>
In addition, when using the above-described finger training device, the load of bending and stretching motions that bend the IP joint can be adjusted by changing the shape of the wire spring members 22 and 22, and the length and number of the annular elastomer member 3 can be adjusted. By changing the above, it is possible to adjust the load of flexion / extension motion that bends the MP joint. Therefore, the motion load on the IP joint and the MP joint can be individually adjusted.

  In addition, in this embodiment, since the non-spiral metal wire is used as the wire spring members 22 and 22, the direction of the load than the coil spring or the torsion spring can be improved by contriving the shape such as partially providing a bent portion. The size can be finely adjusted. Further, since the wire spring members 22 and 22 can be arranged without difficulty in a narrow space between fingers, the fingers can bend and stretch smoothly.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the four hook portions F, F,... Provided on the main body portion of the hand-mounted wearing device 1 are respectively arranged at the portions covering the MP joints of the fingers or the vicinity thereof. The hook portions F and F ′ can be arranged along the bones of the fingers, whereby the load due to the tension of the annular elastomer member 3 can be appropriately applied along the bending and stretching direction of the MP joint.

<Preventing biting and restraining of finger rests>
Further, in this embodiment, since the finger hanging portion 23 is formed thicker than the wire spring members 22 and 22 so as to increase the contact area with the finger, the finger hanging portion 23 is dispersed with the pressure applied to the belly of the finger. It is possible to prevent the part 23 from biting into the fingers. Therefore, even if exercise is repeated for a long time, it is difficult for the fingers to hurt. In the present embodiment, since the finger-hanging portion 23 has a non-ring shape, blood accumulates in the initial state before the wire spring members 22 and 22 are deformed without being restrained in the dark. No worries.

《Use only ring-type wearing device》
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the finger training device is used by attaching only the ring-type wearing devices 2, 2... With the hand-back wearing device 1 and the annular elastomer members 3. Can also be used. This method of use can be selected particularly when it is desired to train independent finger movements (movements that move fingers individually) or confrontation movements (knob movements).

1 Back-type wearing equipment
11 Wearing part 2 Ring-type wearing device
21 Ring member
22 Wire spring member
23 Finger hook part 3 Annular elastomer member F Hook part

Claims (6)

A hand training device used by attaching to a hand to assist bending and stretching movements of a finger,
A hand-type mounting device (1) having a main body portion made of a hard material that can be attached to the wrist portion, and the main body portion having a shape capable of covering the back portion of the hand;
A ring member (21) made of a hard material that can be attached to the base portion of the finger, and a pair of wire spring members (22) (22) arranged in parallel along both sides of the finger, and the pair of wires A ring-type mounting device (2), (2), etc. in which the proximal end side of the spring members (22), (22) is fixed to the ring member (21) and the distal end side is connected to the U-shape via the finger hooking portion (23). When;
While comprising a ring-shaped elastomer member having elasticity (3), (3),
A hook portion (F) (F ′) is provided on the main body portion of the back-type wearing device (1) and the ring member (21) of the ring-type wearing device (2). By attaching the annular elastomer member (3) to the parts (F) and (F '), the mounted back-type wearing device (1) and the ring-type wearing device (2) can be connected. An instrument for hand training.   The hook part (F) of the main body part of the hand-mounted wearing tool (1) is located at or near the MP joint of the finger to which the ring member (21) provided with the hook part (F ') which is paired at the time of wearing is attached. The finger training instrument according to claim 1, wherein the instrument is provided at a portion to be covered.   The finger spring training device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a non-spiral wire rod made of a shape memory alloy is used as the wire spring member (22) (22) of the ring-type wearing device (2). Instruments.   The finger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the finger is configured to include at least ring-shaped wearing devices (2), (2), for the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger. Training equipment.   The thermoplastic resin is used as the material of the main body of the back-mounted device (1), and the main body is formed in a curved shape along the shape of the wrist and the back of the hand. The instrument for finger training as described in any one of.   The finger training according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the finger hooking portion (23) of the ring-type wearing device (2) is formed thicker than the wire spring members (22) (22). Appliances.