JP6233773B2 - Sensors for skeletal muscle evaluation - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a skeletal muscle evaluation sensor, and more particularly to a sensor that enables skeletal muscle ability evaluation by simultaneous measurement of myoelectric signals and displacement muscle sound signals.

In the clinical medicine, welfare field, sports science, and the like, the following methods are often used for evaluation of skeletal muscle contraction function that has been performed conventionally.
(1) Measurement of surface electromyogram by voluntary contraction or induction, and needle electromyogram using needle electrodes.
(2) Measurement of (maximum) muscular strength by grip force meter, exercise bike, Cybeck, etc.
(3) Measurement of muscle cross-sectional area and ratio of fast muscle and slow muscle by morphological examination using images such as MRI.
(4) Biochemical muscle physiological examination by biopsy.

  In recent years, research papers have also proposed to evaluate skeletal muscles by measuring myograms. The phonogram is a minute vibration generated in the muscle as the muscle fiber contracts. That is, it is known that muscle fibers are shortened in the long axis direction when contracted and at the same time generate a kind of pressure wave by enlarging in the direction orthogonal to the long axis direction. Can be measured as a muscular diagram.

  In this electromyogram measurement, the use of a piezo contact sensor, condenser microphone, industrial acceleration sensor, laser displacement meter, etc. has been proposed in the paper, and in particular, Medisense Corporation using an acceleration sensor. Myophones are commercially available.

  In addition, a sensor in which the EMG measurement mechanism and the EMG measurement mechanism are integrated so that EMG measurement and EMG measurement can be performed simultaneously has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .) This sensor is composed of a film-like conductor electrode that constitutes an electrogram measuring mechanism and a film-type piezoelectric sensor that constitutes a electromyogram measuring mechanism, laminated via a film-like insulator. Thus, the EMG measurement and the EMG measurement can be performed at the same measurement position.

JP 2008-253310 A

  However, since the existing electromyographs that can measure myograms measure the minute vibrations of the muscles, the myograms are measured in a state where involuntary movement occurs, that is, during exercise. When trying to do so, it has been known that there is an artifact problem that makes it difficult to detect the phonogram to be measured due to the influence of movement.

  For this reason, normally, when measuring the EMG with a myophone, the whole measurement site must be fixed in advance and the involuntary movement should not occur. It was common sense that we could not.

  In view of such a current situation, the present inventor has achieved the present invention while conducting research and development so as to be able to measure a muscular diagram even during exercise.

The sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle according to the present invention is attached to the skin via the adhesive member with a first adhesive piece attached to the skin via the adhesive member and spaced apart from the first adhesive piece by a predetermined distance. The second sticking piece, the first pedestal standing upright on the first sticking piece, the second pedestal standing upright on the second sticking piece, the first pedestal and the second leg Evaluation of skeletal muscle comprising a base configured in a bridge shape with a support substrate installed between columns and a photoreflector that is mounted on the support substrate and detects a variation in distance between the support substrate and the skin An electromyogram measurement electrode is attached to the second patch, and the electromyogram measurement electrode can be brought into contact with the skin when the second patch is attached to the skin. Monodea is, in particular, the supporting substrate, a first ska surrounding the lower surface of the supporting substrate at the first pedestal and second pedestal Provided the preparative piece and the second skirt member, it suppresses the entry of unnecessary light to the photo-reflector, those that improve the structural strength of the support substrate.

  Further, the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a data transmission means for wirelessly transmitting measurement data at a photo reflector and / or an electromyogram measurement electrode. It is.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the sensor for evaluation of the skeletal muscle which is hard to receive to the influence of an artifact, and can measure the phonogram during exercise. In particular, since the electromyogram can be measured simultaneously, the accuracy of muscle function evaluation can be improved.

It is a perspective view of the sensor for skeletal muscle evaluation of a present Example. It is a perspective view of the sensor for skeletal muscle evaluation of a present Example. It is a graph of the distance-output characteristic curve of the photo reflector used for the present Example. It is a graph of the frequency characteristic of the sensor for skeletal muscle evaluation with respect to disturbance vibration. It is explanatory drawing of squat operation | movement. This is a result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when the knee joint flexion angle is about 75 degrees. It is the result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when the knee joint flexion angle is about 100 degrees. It is explanatory drawing of ergometer exercise | movement. This is a result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when the crank is rotated at 60rpm-30W. It is the result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when operating at 60rpm-30W. It is the result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when operating at 60rpm-80W. It is the result of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when operating at 90rpm-30W.

  The skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of the present invention is an evaluation sensor that can simultaneously measure an electromyogram and a phonogram, and is particularly an evaluation sensor that is not easily affected by artifacts in the measurement of a phonogram. is there.

  That is, the sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle according to the present invention has a first adhesive piece attached to the skin via an adhesive member, and an adhesive member separated from the first adhesive piece by a predetermined interval. A second sticking piece attached to the skin, a first pedestal standing upright on the first sticking piece, a second pedestal standing upright on the second sticking piece, and a first leg A bridge is formed with a support substrate installed between the column and the second leg column.

  Then, a photoreflector that detects a change in the distance between the support substrate and the skin is attached to the support substrate, and is used as a means for measuring a myophone.

  Furthermore, an electromyogram measuring electrode is attached to the second sticking piece to serve as an electromyogram measuring means. The electromyogram measurement electrode is a bipolar induction method, and a separate reference electrode is attached to the skin.

  In this way, a photoreflector is attached to a support substrate of a base configured in a bridge shape, and a myogram is measured by detecting a variation in the distance between the support substrate and the skin. It is possible to make it difficult to accurately measure the phonogram even in an exercise state.

  In addition, an electromyogram measurement electrode is attached to the second patch, and the electromyogram measurement electrode can be attached when the second patch is attached to the skin. The sound diagram and the electromyogram can be measured simultaneously, and the accuracy of muscle function evaluation can be improved.

  By using the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of the present invention, in addition to the conventional evaluation of muscle function, in the fields of clinical medicine, welfare / nursing care, sports science, etc., provide an effective evaluation method Can do. In other words, it is possible to measure not only the rest at the same time as before, but also the electromyogram during voluntary contraction during the movement, or the electromyogram induced by electrical stimulation, and the simultaneous measurement of the electromyogram. In addition to the conventional analysis that focuses on the amplitude and spectrum of the waveform, it is also possible to perform an analysis that focuses on the twitch waveform and the contraction characteristics.

  Specific examples will be described below. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle according to the present embodiment has a base 10 configured in a bridge shape, a photoreflector 20 as a means for measuring a phonogram attached to the base 10, and a base 10. And an electrode 30 of the electromyogram measurement means.

  The base 10 has a first sticking piece 11 attached to the skin via an adhesive member, and a second sticker attached to the skin via the adhesive member at a predetermined distance from the first sticking piece 11. The piece 12, the first pedestal 13 standing on the first sticking piece, the second pedestal 14 standing on the second sticking piece, the first limb 13 and the second pedestal 14 and a support substrate 15 installed between the two and 14.

  The first sticking piece 11, the second sticking piece 12, the first pedestal 13, the second pedestal 14, and the support substrate 15 are each made of a vinyl chloride plate and have a predetermined shape. The PVC plate is bent to form a first sticking piece 11, a second sticking piece 12, a first leg pillar 13, a second leg pillar 14, and a support substrate 15. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the size of the first sticking piece 11 and the second sticking piece 12 is 15 mm × 7 mm, the size of the first leg 13 and the second leg 14 is 15 mm × 6 mm, and is supported. The size of the substrate 15 is 15 mm × 30 mm.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a long side of a rectangular support substrate 15 is provided with a first skirt piece 16 and a second skirt piece 17 for support. The lower surface side of the substrate 15 is surrounded by a first leg 13, a first skirt piece 16, a second leg pillar 14, and a second skirt piece 17.

  By providing the first skirt piece 16 and the second skirt piece 17, the structural strength of the support substrate 15 can be improved and, as will be described later, an extra photo reflector 20 mounted on the support substrate 15 is used. Measurement accuracy can be improved by preventing light from entering. The first skirt piece 16 and the second skirt piece 17 are connected to the first pedestal 13 and the second pedestal 14, respectively, to further improve the structural strength and to reduce the extra light. Intrusion may be suppressed.

  The first skirt piece 16 and the second skirt piece 17 are shorter in length than the first leg pillar 13 and the second leg pillar 14, and the first skirt piece 16 and the second skirt piece. The bottom edge of 17 does not come into contact with the skin. That is, if the lower end edges of the first skirt piece 16 and the second skirt piece 17 are in contact with the skin, there is a possibility that the vibration of the muscle to be measured may be affected.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support substrate 15 of the base 10 is provided with an opening H at a substantially central portion, and a photo reflector 20 is adhered to the upper surface of the support substrate 15 with an adhesive.

  As the photo reflector 20, a commercially available photo reflector (TCRT1010, Vishay Semiconductors) is used. This photo-reflector is an ON-OFF sensor with a peak operating distance of 1 mm, which has a light-emitting part of 950 nm and a light-receiving part, and has a distance-output characteristic as shown in FIG. Was approximated by a cubic polynomial and used for the conversion. The distance resolution is about 10 μm and the dynamic range is 1 to 8 mm due to the dark current of the phototransistor and amplifier circuit noise.

  The electrode 30 of the electromyogram measuring means is Ag-AgCl having a diameter of 8 mm, and is attached to the second sticking piece 12 of the substrate 10 with a center distance of 12 mm.

  The sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle thus configured can be about 2.5 g, and can be mounted without giving a feeling of mounting to the subject.

  In the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this embodiment, a double-sided tape is attached to each of the first adhesive piece 11 and the second adhesive piece 12, and the attachment to the skin is performed via the double-sided tape. The electrode 30 is brought into contact with the skin via the electrode paste.

  A white glossy sticker is affixed on the skin in the region where the muscular sound chart is measured by the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor, so that the light of the photo reflector 20 is easily reflected.

  Although not shown, the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this embodiment is connected to a transmission logger unit (OE-WES unit, Osaka Electronics) via a cable, and an electronic device that performs data analysis from the transmission logger unit. Data is sent to the receiving unit connected to the computer. Note that a preamplifier for the electrode 30 of the electromyogram measuring means is inserted into the cable.

  As described above, the subject is being measured by including the data transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the measurement data at the photo reflector of the sensor for evaluating the skeletal muscle and / or the measurement electrode of the electromyogram. Measurement can be performed in a natural state of motion without being distracted.

  The sensor for evaluation of skeletal muscle of the present example was affixed on a vibration exciter via a double-sided tape, and the influence on disturbance vibration of the measurement of the phonogram was confirmed. As shown in FIG. 4, when the vibration frequency was changed from DC to 200 Hz, it was confirmed that sufficient frequency characteristics could be obtained at 100 Hz or less.

  In the following, for convenience of explanation, the measurement of the myocardiogram by the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this embodiment will be expressed as “MMG”, and the measurement of the electromyogram will be expressed as “EMG”.

  FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the results of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when the squat motion is performed as shown in FIG. 5 using the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this example. In particular, FIG. 6 shows a case where the knee joint flexion angle is about 75 degrees, and FIG. 7 shows a case where the knee joint flexion angle is about 100 degrees. The knee joint flexion angle is 0 degree in the extended state.

  When the knee joint begins to flex, the rectus femoris EMG begins to increase, and at the maximum flexion, the EMG also reaches the maximum value, but the rectal femoral muscle displacement MMG begins to increase slightly later (the muscle swells), and the knee joint extends. When the start begins, MMG decreases with EMG, and MMG increases and decreases again just before returning to the standing posture. Correspondingly, EMG slightly increases and decreases. The same is true for deep squats. However, in deep squats where the knee joint flexion angle is large, the EMG amplitude is approximately doubled, and the MMG amplitude is also slightly less than double.

  Thus, it was confirmed that data capable of evaluating muscle function could be obtained with the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this example.

  As another use example, FIGS. 9 to 12 show the results of simultaneous measurement of MMG and EMG when the ergometer exercise is performed as shown in FIG. 8 using the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this example. In particular, FIG. 9 shows a case where the crank is rotated dynamically at 60 rpm-30 W, FIG. 10 shows a case where a slow and light pedal operation (60 rpm-30 W) is performed, and FIG. 11 shows a slow and heavy pedal operation. FIG. 12 shows a case where a fast and light pedal operation (90 rpm-30 W) is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the case of passive motion, MMG has a waveform synchronized with the knee joint flexion angle, but almost no EMG is seen. That is, since MMG measures the change in the shape of the muscle cross section, it can be seen that the gastrocnemius muscle only repeats expansion and contraction dynamically.

  In the knee joint flexion phase, it can be seen that the gastrocnemius EMG does not ignite so much that EMG starts to increase when the knee joint begins to extend and decreases when the knee joint flexion phase. It was the same whether the load was increased or the number of cycles was increased. Although MMG shows the maximum value in the maximum flexion of the knee joint, there are places where the MMG increases and decreases once again despite the smooth extension of the knee joint. This became more prominent when the load and the number of cycles were changed.

  Thus, it was confirmed that even with different exercises, data capable of evaluating muscle function could be obtained with the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of this example.

  As described above, according to the skeletal muscle evaluation sensor of the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously measure a myophone and an electromyogram even during exercise, and to perform advanced muscle function evaluation.

10 substrate
11 First patch
12 Second patch
13 First pedestal
14 Second pedestal
15 Support substrate H Opening
16 First skirt piece
17 Second skirt piece
20 Photo reflector
30 electrodes

Claims (2)

A first sticking piece attached to the skin via an adhesive member;
A second adhesive piece that is attached to the skin via an adhesive member separated from the first adhesive piece by a predetermined interval;
A first pedestal erected on the first sticking piece;
A second pedestal erected on the second sticking piece;
A base configured in a bridge shape with a support substrate constructed between the first pedestal and the second pedestal;
A sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle, comprising a photoreflector that is mounted on the support substrate and detects a variation in the distance between the support substrate and the skin,
Attach the electrode for measuring EMG to the second pasting pieces, and the measurement electrodes of the EMG with the attachment to the skin of the second sticking strips contactable to said skin,
The support substrate is provided with a first skirt piece and a second skirt piece that surround the lower surface side of the support substrate with the first pedestal and the second pedestal. A sensor for evaluating skeletal muscle that suppresses unnecessary light and improves the structural strength of the support substrate .   The skeletal muscle evaluation sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a data transmission means for wirelessly transmitting measurement data at the photo reflector and / or the electromyogram measurement electrode.