KR20210063976A - Stimulating device for growth plate of knee - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates a stimulating device for a growth plate in the knee provided on a chair shaped main body, which can apply the highest efficiency light required for growth to the epiphyseal region of the femur (region 1) and the epiphysis region of the tibia (region 2). Thus, the stimulating device for a growth plate according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a chair main body on which the hips of a user can be seated; a calf seating part which has a receiving groove for receiving the calves of the user; and a knee growth plate stimulating part which is formed at the upper end of the calf seating part to stimulate a growth plate of the knee.

Description

Knee growth plate stimulation device

The present invention relates to a growth plate stimulation apparatus, and more particularly, to a growth plate stimulation apparatus capable of efficiently stimulating a growth plate of a knee using light.

Light therapy is a medical technology that has been used for a long time to treat various diseases. The use of sunlight to treat skin diseases has been used for thousands of years in Egypt, India and China.

Therapy using sunlight was re-examined by Niels Ryberg Finsen, a Nobel Prize winner in medicine in 1903, and later gave birth to phototherapy using artificial light.

Recently, among the light sources for the treatment of skin diseases, a method using an LED light source is emerging. Unlike a high-power laser that intensively treats a local area, the LED light source can effectively treat a large area of disease with an appropriate light output.

The LED light source has a narrow wavelength bandwidth and emits a light source of a specific wavelength, so harmful ultraviolet (UV) or unnecessary visible light is not emitted. Therefore, the US FDA has approved the use of treatment using LED light sources in the red and infrared regions for human use.

The physical characteristics of the LED light source are that it has a long lifespan, is environmentally friendly due to low power consumption, and is easy to utilize space due to its small volume. However, most of the phototherapy technologies developed so far are limited to the skin, and development in other fields is very insufficient.

In particular, there is almost no growth plate stimulation device commercialized until now, except for traditional physical massage devices. In addition, although a device for applying ultrasound or the like has been developed theoretically, it has not been commercialized due to side effects such as hemolysis of cells.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a handy type growth promoting device having an ultrasonic wave and an LED element, but the optical characteristics of the LED are not disclosed at all, and as described above, the side effect on the growth plate cells when the ultrasonic wave is applied is a problem. , even in this case, since the user has to directly stimulate the corresponding part of the human body by holding the device, there is a problem in that it is not only inconvenient to use, but also it is difficult to express the effect of closely stimulating the growth plate.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a device capable of stimulating a knee growth plate by pressing in a massage chair, but a method of stimulating the growth plate using an LED light source is not disclosed.

Therefore, if a massage device such as a massage chair, which is widely spread and easy to use, is given the function of irradiating the LED light source to the knee growth plate, the convenience of use and excellent growth plate stimulation effect can be obtained. , the present invention was completed.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0975595 (2010.8.13) Korean Patent No. 10-1915898 (2018.11.6)

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a growth plate stimulation apparatus that can continuously and effectively stimulate the knee growth plate by optimal light, and is convenient to use.

Growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, a chair body on which the user's buttocks can be seated;

a calf seating unit having a receiving groove for accommodating the user's calf; And

It is formed on the upper end of the calf seat and includes a knee growth plate stimulation portion for stimulating the knee growth plate.

At this time, the knee growth plate stimulation unit may directly emit light of 600 to 1100 nm to the epiphyseal region of the femur (the first region) and the region of the epiphysis of the tibia (the second region) in which the growth plates are distributed.

In addition, the knee growth plate stimulation unit may include a first module disposed on one side of the knee of the first region and the second region, and a second module disposed on the opposite side in a form facing each other with the first module, A light source element may be disposed in the first module and the second module.

At this time, in order to focus the light on the growth plates of the first and second regions, the light source element is configured such that the amount of light emitted above and below the centers of the first and second modules is greater than that of the first module and the second module. can be placed in

In addition, the light source device may include a visible light emitting device emitting red light having a wavelength of 600 to 730 nm and an invisible light emitting device emitting infrared light having a wavelength of 750 to 1100 nm together.

In addition, the knee growth plate stimulation unit may further include a third module disposed in front of the knee, the third module may have a light source device disposed therein.

In addition, the knee growth plate stimulation unit may further include a fourth module disposed behind the knee, the fourth module may have a light source device disposed.

In addition, any one or more of the first module to the fourth module may simultaneously apply the red light and the infrared light to the user's knee, and any one or more of the first to fourth modules is the user's knee. Vibration can be applied to the knee.

In addition, in any one or more of the first to fourth modules, light output and application of vibration may be alternately or simultaneously performed.

In addition, the third module may be formed to connect the first module and the second module, and in this case, the third module may be formed to be detachably attached to the first module and the second module.

In addition, light source elements may be disposed on both sides of the second module so that the second module can also emit light to one side of the user's opposite knee.

In addition, the first module and the second module may be arranged to allow horizontal movement and vertical movement according to the position and size of the user's knee.

The knee growth plate stimulation apparatus of the present invention applies light to the epiphyseal region of the femur (region 1) and the epiphysis region of the tibia (region 2) and activates blood flow to deliver the highest efficiency light required for growth to the optimal location of the human body without side effects. It can be approved, and it is a form that can be applied to existing massage devices such as massage chairs, and has excellent accessibility and convenience.

1 is a block diagram of a growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining application of light to a first region and a second region.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a knee growth plate stimulation unit in FIG. 1 .
4 is a view illustrating a knee growth plate stimulation unit of the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram of a growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing first to third modules.
6 is a block diagram of a growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a form in which a third module is detached from a first module and a second module.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, it should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.

For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. The term and/or includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. Does not.

Hereinafter, a growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 is a block diagram of a growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to this, the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chair body 10 on which a user's buttocks can be seated, a calf seat 11 having a receiving groove for accommodating a user's calf, and a calf seat portion It is formed at the top and includes a knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 for stimulating the knee growth plate.

At this time, the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 emits LED light or laser light, and applies light to the epiphyseal region of the femur (the first region, A1) and the epiphysis region of the tibia (the second region, A2). Preferably, the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 applies light to the first area A1 and the second area A2 at the same time. This is because, in the first region A1 and the second region A2, since the vascular region is divided into upper and lower portions, when only one light is applied, the upper and lower growth factor expression balance may be broken. (Fig. 2).

At this time, the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 is a first module 21 disposed on one side of the knee in the first region and the second region, and a second module disposed on the opposite side in a form facing each other with the first module. (22) may be included. This is to simultaneously stimulate the side of the knee where the growth plate is placed in the knee.

In this case, the first module 21 and the second module 22 are both provided with a light source element. The light source element simultaneously applies light to the above-described first area A1 and second area A2 . At this time, in order to focus the light on the growth plate A1s of the first region A1 and the growth plate A2s of the second region A2, the light source element is positioned above and below the centers of the first and second modules. It may be disposed in the first module and the second module so that the emission amount is large. As an example, referring to FIG. 3 , it can be seen that the light source element 30 is disposed so that the light output amount at the upper and lower portions is greater than the center of the first module and the second module. However, for design aesthetics, it goes without saying that the light source element may be evenly disposed on the central portions of the first module and the second module.

Meanwhile, the light source device 30 may include a visible light emitting device emitting red light having a wavelength of 600 to 730 nm and an invisible light emitting device emitting infrared light having a wavelength of 750 to 1100 nm together. . When infrared light is continuously applied to the growth plate cells alone for growth plate stimulation, the photoinhibition phenomenon is aggravated, which is undesirable. In addition, when using red-based visible light, the activation effect of cartilage, which is a component of the growth plate, is further enhanced. Therefore, the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention uses infrared and red-based visible light in parallel to reinforce cell recovery and regeneration functions, and can stimulate the growth plate more effectively.

When light of 600 to 730 nm is irradiated to the skin, it is absorbed into the mitochondria and then promotes ATP production, and promotes intracellular energy metabolism to promote cell growth and cell regeneration. However, there is a lot of absorption into hemoglobin, which is mainly distributed in vascular cells, so it is difficult to transmit photons to deeper growth plate cells in areas with many blood vessels.

However, the first module 21 and the second module 22 of the present invention can be in close contact according to the size and position of the user's knee through horizontal and vertical movement in the chair body 10, and the knee joint and the growth plate are disposed. The depth to the cartilage is only about 5 mm, and unlike other parts of the body, photon transmission obstruction by hemoglobin occurs very rarely. Therefore, the red light with a minimum wavelength near 600 nm is also sufficient to reach the cartilage growth plate like infrared light.

Furthermore, the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further emit light of 750 to 1100 nm. This is to activate the chondrocytes of the growth plate and directly stimulate the blood vessels connected to the growth plate and the blood vessel area behind the knee. That is, when infrared light in this wavelength range is applied, it is possible to penetrate deeply while avoiding the above-mentioned interference with the absorption of hemoglobin, and directly stimulate the growth plate cells to further increase the expression frequency of growth factors.

When the wavelengths in this range are emitted together, complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) acts as a photo-receptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain in the cell in response to the stimulation of light, thereby promoting ATP production. In addition to this, it initiates a secondary cell messenger signal transduction pathway and consequently activates energy metabolism and enhances cell viability, thereby preventing apoptosis in the ischemic region and enhancing the nerve regeneration mechanism.

Through this mechanism, cell growth and cell regeneration are promoted, and it also affects undifferentiated mesoderm cells to be differentiated into osteoblasts or osteocytes, which are growth plate cells, so that they have a useful function in the regeneration of bone tissue. As a result, the production of collagen, which is a cartilage material, is promoted, and the differentiation of osteoblasts and osteocytes is promoted to induce direct growth.

As described above, in the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the knee growth plate stimulation unit applies red light and infrared light to promote immediate cell activation, as well as the epiphyseal region of the femur (the first region) and the epiphysis region of the tibia. Since light is also applied to the (second region), the light with the highest efficiency required for growth can be applied to the optimal position of the human body.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4 , the second module 22 of the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed on the opposite side in a form facing the first module 21, while being disposed on the opposite side of the user's knee. Light source elements may be disposed on both sides of the second module so as to emit light to the side surfaces as well.

Also, referring to FIG. 5 , the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 of the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, together with the first module 21 and the second module 22, is the first to be disposed in front of the knee. It may further include three modules 23, and the third module 23 may be formed to connect the first module and the second module. In addition, the knee growth plate stimulation unit 20 of the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a fourth module (not shown) disposed behind the knee.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6 , a light source device 30 may be disposed in the third module 23 , and the third module 23 includes the first module 21 and the second module 22 . and may be formed to be detachable.

Meanwhile, the growth plate stimulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may apply vibration to the user's knee from the first module 21 , the second module 22 , the third module 23 or the fourth module. In this case, the vibration application may be performed alternately with the light emission, or at the same time. That is, by adding an appropriate physical stimulus, it is possible to express the growth promoting effect due to more efficient improvement of blood flow.

As described above, in the present specification and drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, and although specific terms are used, this is only used in a general meaning to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and to aid understanding of the invention. , It is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that other modified examples based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented.

10: chair body
11: Calf seat
20: knee growth plate stimulation part
21: first module
22: second module
23: third module
30: light source element
A1: first area
A2: Area 2
A1s: growth plate of the first region
A2s: growth plate of the second region

Claims (12)

a chair body on which the user's hips can be seated;
a calf seating unit having a receiving groove for accommodating the user's calf; and
Knee growth plate stimulation part formed at the top of the calf seat to stimulate the knee growth plate
In the growth plate stimulation device comprising:
The growth plate stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the knee growth plate stimulation unit directly emits light of 600 to 1100 nm to the first region, which is the epiphyseal region of the femur, and the second region, which is the epiphysis region of the tibia, in which the growth plate is distributed.
According to claim 1, wherein the knee growth plate stimulation portion a first module disposed on one side of the knee of the first region and the second region, and a second module disposed on the opposite side in a form facing each other with the first module; Including, wherein the first module and the second module, the growth plate stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the light source element is disposed.
According to claim 2, In order to focus the light on the growth plate of the first region and the second region, the light source element is the first module so that the amount of light emitted above and below the center of the first module and the second module is greater. and a growth plate stimulation device disposed in the second module.
According to claim 2, wherein the light source device comprises a visible light emitting device for emitting red light having a wavelength of 600 to 730 nm and a non-visible light emitting device for emitting infrared light having a wavelength of 750 to 1100 nm together Growth plate stimulation device, characterized in that.
The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the knee growth plate stimulation unit further comprises a third module disposed in front of the knee, and a light source element is disposed in the third module.
[Claim 6] The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the knee growth plate stimulation unit further comprises a fourth module disposed behind the knee, and a light source element is disposed in the fourth module.
The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first to fourth modules applies red light and infrared light to the user's knee at the same time.
The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first to fourth modules applies vibration to the user's knee.
According to claim 8, wherein any one or more of the first module to the fourth module is a growth plate stimulation apparatus, characterized in that the light output and the application of vibration alternately or simultaneously.
The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third module is formed to connect the first module and the second module.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the third module is detachable from the first module and the second module.
The growth plate stimulation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein light source elements are disposed on both sides of the second module so that the second module can also emit light from one side of the user's opposite knee.

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