WO2023191236A1

WO2023191236A1 - Apparatus for stimulating peripheral nerves in hands or feet

Info

Publication number: WO2023191236A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/019040
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김기원
Original assignee: (주)웨이브트리
Priority date: 2022-03-30
Filing date: 2022-11-29
Publication date: 2023-10-05
Also published as: KR20230140898A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for stimulating peripheral nerves in the hands or feet, wherein the apparatus has a ring or cap structure and is worn on the fingers and wrist or the toes and ankle to deliver electrical stimulation to the skin. The apparatus directly stimulates peripheral nerves distributed in the fingers and wrist or the toes and ankle where symptoms of peripheral neuritis actually occur, and thus can enhance the stimulation effect on the peripheral nerves.

Description

Peripheral nerve stimulation device for hands or feet

The present invention relates to a peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot, and specifically, is worn on the fingers and wrist or toes and ankles in the form of a ring or cap to transmit electrical stimulation to the nervous tissue through the skin. By doing so, it relates to a peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region, characterized in that it increases the stimulation effect of the peripheral nerves in the finger and wrist or toe and ankle regions where peripheral neuritis symptoms occur.

Due to improvements in medical technology and health/hygiene conditions, survival times have improved and we have become an aging society. Due to the development of diagnostic technology, the number of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer is gradually increasing, and with the development of treatments, the number of patients with diabetes and cancer is increasing. Survival time has improved, but the number of patients suffering from the side effects of anticancer drugs is gradually increasing.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the complications of diabetes. It is a disease that causes complications due to nerve damage caused by long-term diabetes. It can appear in all nervous systems, but it mainly appears in the peripheral nervous system. Distinct symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include tingling in the feet, paresthesia, numbness, and severe pain. You feel burning and numbness, and you also feel pain when you touch something soft. The pain may be so extreme that it is difficult to bear, but in some cases, it may manifest as numbness where no pain is felt at all.

In addition, various types of anticancer treatments have been developed and applied to cancer patients, which has the effect of enabling long-term survival even for stage 4 cancer patients. However, the side effects of anticancer drugs are increasing due to long-term treatment, and among these side effects of anticancer drugs, The representative symptom is peripheral neuropathy.

In the case of anticancer drug-induced peripheral neuropathy, the cause is anticancer drugs such as Oxaliplatin, Paclitaxel, or Velcade, which are widely used for colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, or blood cancer, and long-term use of anticancer drugs. The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy that occur during anticancer drug administration persist even during anticancer drug administration, and the symptoms persist for months or years even after anticancer drug administration ends, causing long-term pain to the patient.

Neuropathic pain is often accompanied by various clinical characteristics and unpleasant feelings such as abnormal paresthesia, and generally takes the form of burning, pulsing, stabbing, etc. It appears as In some cases, pain may not be felt in the area where the sensory abnormality occurs. Neuropathic pain is more diverse than non-neuropathic pain.

Patients with neuropathic pain may have suffered from a disease or illness in the past that causes it. These include brachial plexus avulsion, spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accident, diabetes, shingles, and post-traumatic or postoperative neuralgia. A weak response to opioid medications is a typical feature of neuropathic pain.

In addition, pronounced sensory loss and abnormal sensations may appear in the painful area under test. Neuropathic pain may occur acutely or may become chronic or intractable. Once it develops chronically, psychological factors can influence symptom control. Chronic neuropathic pain may also affect the patient's temperament or personality.

Drug preparations such as Gabapentin and Venlafaxine have been developed to treat neuropathy as described above, but there is a problem in that neuropathy cannot be properly treated due to the low efficacy of drug treatment.

Therefore, in order to solve the problems described above, the present invention is a device that is worn in the form of a ring or cap on the fingers and wrist, or toes and ankles to efficiently transmit electrical stimulation to the nervous tissue through the skin. The present invention was completed by developing a peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area.

As a way to improve the above problems, the present invention is a structure in the form of a ring or cap that is worn on the fingers and wrist or toes and ankles to transmit electrical stimulation to the nervous tissue through the skin, The object is to provide a peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region, which is characterized by enhancing the stimulation effect of the peripheral nerves in the finger, wrist, toe, and ankle region where neuritis symptoms occur.

According to the features of the present invention for achieving the above-described object, there is provided a wearing part 20 worn on the body; a plurality of stimulation members (30) fixed on the inner peripheral surface of the wearing unit (20) and for applying electrical stimulation to the body; It is characterized by including a control unit 40 for controlling the electrical signal of the magnetic pole member 30.

In the peripheral nerve stimulator for the hand or foot region according to the present invention, the wearing unit 20 has a plurality of fixing grooves 211 formed on the inner peripheral surface, and the wrist/ankle wearing unit 21 is worn on the wrist or ankle. )and; A plurality of fixing grooves 221 are formed on the inner peripheral surface, and finger/toe wearing portions 22 and 22' are worn on fingers or toes; It is characterized by comprising a hand/foot wearing unit (23) worn on the hand or foot.

And in the peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention, the stimulation member 30 is mounted in the

fixing groove

211, 221 and is electrically connected to the control unit 40 to apply electrical stimulation to the body. It is characterized by including.

In addition, in the peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention, the control unit 40 is coupled to the hand/foot wearing part 23 of the wearing part 20, and the stimulation member 30 and the connection line Each is electrically connected through (41), and one side of the connection line (41) is fixed to the stimulation member (30) fixed to the wrist/ankle wearing part (21) and the finger/toe wearing part (22, 22′). connected, and the other side of the connection line 41 is connected to the control unit 40 in a detachable manner.

The peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention is a ring- or cap-shaped structure that is worn on the fingers and wrist, or toes and ankles to transmit electrical stimulation, so that the finger where peripheral neuritis symptoms occur And it can increase the stimulation effect of peripheral nerves distributed in the wrist, toes, and ankle areas.

Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining a ring type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the finger and wrist according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining a cap type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the finger and wrist according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the ring type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the fingers and wrist of Figure 1 is worn on a person's hand.

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a ring type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the toes and ankles according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a cap type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the toes and ankles according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the ring type peripheral nerve stimulator applied to the toes and ankles of Figure 4 is worn on a person's foot.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the stimulation member is coupled to the wrist/ankle wear portion or the finger/toe wear portion in the ring type peripheral nerve stimulator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the stimulation member is coupled to the wrist/ankle wear portion or the finger/toe wear portion in the ring type peripheral nerve stimulator according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the control unit provided in the peripheral nerve stimulator according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings, and components performing the same function in FIGS. 1 to 9 will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Meanwhile, in the illustrations and detailed descriptions of the drawings, detailed descriptions and illustrations of specific technical configurations and operations of elements that are not directly related to the technical features of the present invention are omitted, and only the technical configurations related to the present invention are briefly shown. explained.

The present invention refers to the term “hand or foot region” as used in the specification, meaning ‘hand region’ or ‘foot region’, and “hand region” meaning “fingers and wrists,” and “foot region” meaning “toes and ankles.” means respectively. In addition, “wrist/ankle wearing part” means ‘wrist or ankle wearing part’, and “finger/toe wearing part” means ‘finger or toe wearing part’. Additionally, “hand/foot wearing part” means ‘hand or foot wearing part’. In addition, in the “hand/foot wearing part”, “hand” means including both the ‘back of the hand and the palm’, and ‘foot’ means including both the ‘instep and sole’.

Referring to Figures 1 to 9, the peripheral nerve stimulation device 10 for the hand or foot area according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a wearing part 20, a stimulation member 30, and a control part 40. .

The wearing part 20 is worn on the body, and includes a wrist/ankle wearing part 21 worn on the wrist or ankle, a finger/

toe wearing part

22, 22′ worn on the fingers or toes, and a hand or foot wearing part 20. It includes a hand/foot wearing part 23 that is worn on.

The wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 has a ring-type structure, and the finger/toe wearing portions 22 and 22' have a ring-type or cap-type structure. In addition, the wrist/ankle wearing part 21 and the finger/toe wearing part 22, 22' are formed with a plurality of

fixing grooves

211, 221 on the inner peripheral surface so that a plurality of stimulation members 30 can be mounted. . Here, the wrist/ankle wearable unit 21 has a cutout portion 212 formed so that it can be easily worn on the body, that is, the wrist or ankle.

Meanwhile, the wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 and the finger/toe wearing portions 22 and 22' are made of stretchable elastic material. The elastic material is preferably selected from synthetic resin or synthetic rubber materials with elastic properties. It is not necessarily limited to the materials listed above, and all materials with physical properties equivalent to those limited above are applicable. You can lose.

Therefore, when wearing the wrist/ankle wearing part 21 on the wrist or ankle, the wrist/ankle wearing part 21 can be easily worn on the wrist or ankle by slightly widening the gap between the cutouts 212.

As described above, the wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 and the finger/

toe wearing portions

22, 22′ are formed of stretchable elastic material because the thickness of the user's wrist, ankle, fingers, and toes are different, and the wrist and ankle are different. This is to effectively receive electrical stimulation from the stimulation member 30 by elastically tightening the fingers and toes to ensure close contact.

The finger wearing parts 22 and 22' include a ring type finger wearing part 22 as shown in FIG. 1 and a cap type finger wearing part 22' as shown in FIG. 2. are distinguished.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the ring-type finger wearing part 22 is provided with one ring-shaped finger wearing part on the thumb, and fingers on the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. The wearing portion is structured to include two ring-shaped finger wearing portions, but the number of finger wearing portions is not necessarily limited to the number limited above, and the thumb may be provided with one or two finger wearing portions, and the thumb may be provided with one or two finger wearing portions. Except for , the remaining fingers may each be provided with three finger wearing parts. Therefore, the ring-type finger wearing part 22 has the effect of treating neuropathy in each finger joint due to the structure described above.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the cap type finger wearing part 22' prevents neuropathy in all finger joints by wearing the cap type finger wearing part 22' on all five fingers. There is a therapeutic effect.

And the

toe wearing portions

22 and 22′ include a ring type toe wearing portion 22 as shown in FIG. 4 and a cap type toe wearing portion 22′ as shown in FIG. 5. It is divided into

As shown in FIG. 4, the ring type toe wearing unit 22 is a structure in which each toe is provided with only one ring-shaped toe wearing unit. However, it is not necessarily limited to the structure shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, each toe may be provided with a plurality of toe wearing units.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the cap type toe wearing part 22' prevents neuropathy in all nodes of the toes by wearing the cap type toe wearing part 22' on all five toes. There is a therapeutic effect.

The hand/foot wearing unit 23 is a means for stably wearing the peripheral nerve stimulator of the hand or foot area according to the present invention on the hand or foot, and includes a wrist/ankle wearing unit 21 and a finger/toe wearing unit ( It is worn on the hand or foot between 22 and 22′). That is, when worn on the hand, it is worn to cover the back of the hand and palm, and when worn on the foot, it is worn so as to cover the instep and sole.

In the hand/foot wearing unit 23, the hand-wearing part worn on the hand has an open wrist and finger portion, and the foot-wearing part worn on the foot has an open ankle and toe portion. At this time, the foot wearing part is formed with an extension cord 231 at the heel part so that it is stably fixed to the foot, and the extension cord 231 is formed to have elasticity so as to surround the heel of the foot. The material of the hand/foot wearable portion 23 is an elastic fiber material, and specifically, it is preferably a non-woven fabric made of natural fiber or synthetic fiber material so as to be breathable.

The stimulation member 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is for applying electrical stimulation to the body as shown in FIG. 7, is fixed on the fixing

grooves

211 and 221 of the wearing part 20, and is connected to the control unit ( 40) and involves applying electrical stimulation to the body by being electrically connected to it.

For reference, Figure 7 (a) is a diagram showing the state in which the stimulation member is coupled to the wrist/ankle wear part in the ring-type peripheral nerve stimulator according to the present invention, and Figure 7 (b) is a diagram showing the state in which the stimulation member is coupled to the wrist/ankle wearing portion. This is a diagram showing the state in which the stimulation member is coupled to the finger/toe wear part in the ring type peripheral nerve stimulator according to the invention.

And the magnetic pole member 30 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention is fixed on the fixing

grooves

211 and 221 of the wearing part 20, as shown in FIG. 8, and has a fixture (311) formed therein. 31) and a stimulation unit 32 that is coupled to the groove 311 of the fixture 31 and is electrically connected to the control unit 40 to apply electrical stimulation to the body.

Also, in the case of a cap type peripheral nerve stimulator as shown in Figure 2(b) and Figure 5(b), the stimulation member 30 mounted inside the cap is shown in Figure 7 or Figure 8. It has a structure as shown in .

Specifically, the stimulation member 30 is composed of electrodes, and the electrodes are arranged at regular intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the wearing unit 20. The stimulation member 30 is connected to the wrist/ankle wearing unit 21 or It is electrically connected to the control unit 40 by a connection line 41 embedded in the elastic member of the finger/toe wearing unit 22, 22'. The material of the magnetic pole member 30 is preferably selected from conductive metal electrode materials such as carbon electrodes, silicon electrodes, gold, silver, or platinum.

The stimulation member 30 uses low-voltage constant current or low-frequency current to deliver electrical stimulation to the body's nervous tissue. The intensity of stimulation applied to the patient's body can be adjusted appropriately within the scope of the patient's physical condition and treatment safety. Additionally, the arrangement structure of the cathode electrode and anode electrode of the magnetic pole member 30 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately arranged.

Meanwhile, the wrist/ankle wearable part 21 and the magnetic pole member 30 fixed to the fixing

grooves

211 and 221 of the finger/toe wearable parts 22 and 22' are electrically connected to each other. This is because when individually electrically connected to the control unit 40, the connection line 41 is exposed to the outside and there is a risk of short circuit.

The control unit 40 is for controlling the electrical signal of the stimulation member 30 and includes a power button 42 and an intensity control button 43 to adjust the intensity of the electrical signal. The intensity of the electrical signal applied to the peripheral nerve can be adjusted by selecting and touching a button with an appropriate intensity of the electrical signal among the plurality of intensity control buttons 43 provided in the control unit 40 as shown in FIG. 9 according to the patient's physical condition. It can be adjusted or adjusted by appropriately rotating the dial (not shown in the drawing), but this is only an example and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Technicians will understand well.

This control unit 40 is coupled to the hand/foot wearing part 23 of the wearing part 20, and is electrically connected to the magnetic stimulation part 32 of the magnetic stimulation member 30 through the connection line 41. . Here, the connection line 41 is preferably used as a wire, but is not limited to this and can be configured in various ways to transmit electrical signals. And the power supplied to the control unit can be battery power or general electric power.

Meanwhile, one side of the connection line 41 is fixedly connected to the stimulation member 30 fixed to the wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 and the finger/

toe wearing portion

22, 22′, and the other side of the connecting line 41 is connected to the control unit. It is removably connected to (40). Here, one side of the connection line 41 is connected to one of the plurality of magnetic pole members 30, and the magnetic pole members 30 are connected to each other on the wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 and the finger/

toe wearing portions

22 and 22′. are electrically connected.

As described above, according to the peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention, it is a ring or cap-shaped structure and is worn on the fingers and wrist or toes and ankles to transmit electrical stimulation to the skin, The effect of peripheral nerve stimulation can be increased by directly stimulating the peripheral nerves distributed in the fingers, wrist, toes, and ankles where symptoms of peripheral neuritis actually occur.

As described above, the peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with the accompanying drawings, but this is merely an example and is within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand well that various changes and modifications are possible.

And in the peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention, the stimulation member 30 is mounted in the fixing

groove

The peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot area according to the present invention is a ring- or cap-shaped structure that is worn on the fingers and wrist, or toes and ankles to transmit electrical stimulation, so that the finger where peripheral neuritis symptoms occur It is an invention that has the potential to be widely used in industry because it can increase the stimulation effect of peripheral nerves distributed in the wrist, toes, and ankle areas.

Claims

A wearable part 20 worn on the body;

a plurality of stimulation members (30) fixed on the inner peripheral surface of the wearing unit (20) and for applying electrical stimulation to the body;

A peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region, comprising a control unit (40) for controlling the electrical signal of the stimulation member (30).
According to claim 1,

The wearing part 20 includes a wrist/ankle wearing part 21 having a plurality of fixing grooves 211 formed on the inner peripheral surface and worn on the wrist or ankle;

A plurality of fixing grooves 221 are formed on the inner peripheral surface, and finger/toe wearing parts 22, 22' are worn on fingers or toes;

A peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region, characterized in that it includes a hand/foot wearing unit (23) worn on the hand or foot.
According to claim 2,

The stimulation member (30) is mounted in the fixing groove (211, 221) and is electrically connected to the control unit (40) to apply electrical stimulation to the body. A peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region. .
According to claim 3,

The control unit 40 is coupled to the hand/foot wearing part 23 of the wearing part 20, and is electrically connected to the stimulation member 30 through a connection line 41, respectively.

One side of the connection line 41 is fixedly connected to the stimulation member 30 fixed to the wrist/ankle wearing portion 21 and the finger/toe wearing portion 22, 22′, and the other side of the connecting line 41 is A peripheral nerve stimulation device for the hand or foot region, characterized in that it is detachably connected to the control unit (40).