JP7795697B2 - Fascia massage machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fascia massage machine for massaging the fascia, and in particular to a fascia massage machine that can automatically massage the gluteus maximus and medius muscles while maintaining the patient's posture in an optimal position.

A wide variety of massage machines with various innovative features have been developed and used in the past. Fascial massage, which massages the fascia, is a massage technique that removes adhesions between muscles and fascia.

All muscles are covered by a thin membrane called fascia, which supports the muscles. When deep muscles become fatigued or severely damaged, adhesions form between fascia, or between muscles and fascia, preventing the muscles from moving smoothly. This manifests as stiffness, numbness, and pain.

Fascia massage is a type of massage that applies pressure to the fascia and muscles from the outside while moving the muscles inside, thereby removing adhesions, relieving stiffness and pain, and allowing joints to move fully.A fascia massage machine makes it possible to perform this massage automatically.

Technology related to such massage machines is, for example, found in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-144135. This publication discloses a structure for lower-body garments and belts, such as spats, in which multiple protrusions, each approximately 20 mm to 40 mm wide and with a peak height of 10 mm to 30 mm, are arranged on the underside of the garment or belt in a curved line on both sides of the spine, following the gluteus medius muscle, so that the protrusions abut between the origin and insertion of the gluteus medius muscle in the buttocks when worn. It discloses that this structure makes it possible to massage the gluteus medius muscle and the surrounding subcutaneous and deep fascia simply by walking while wearing the garment or belt.

While this technique certainly makes it possible to easily massage the fascia, it has the problem of being unable to provide an appropriate massage when treatment is required that is tailored to the patient's condition. In particular, the massage effect of the gluteus maximus and medius muscles is enhanced by performing treatment while moving the legs in stages, but the structure of this device makes this type of treatment impossible, making it an insufficient technique from a treatment perspective.

It has been found that the effectiveness of massage of the gluteus maximus and medius muscles can be enhanced by gradually moving the legs during the massage. Therefore, there was a need for the development of a fascia massage machine that could maintain the patient's posture optimally and automatically perform a massage while moving in stages.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-144135

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a fascial massage machine for massaging the fascia, and in particular, a fascial massage machine that can maintain the patient's posture optimally and automatically massage the gluteus maximus and medius muscles while moving in stages.

In order to achieve the above object, the fascia massage machine of the present invention is a fascia massage machine for massaging the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles, and comprises a backrest that can be tilted and fixed freely, a seat that can change the tilt angle of the seat surface, a footrest that is fixed to the end of the seat so as to be able to swing and that moves in response to changes in the tilt angle of the seat, a base that supports the backrest and the seat, a pair of left and right massagers that come into contact with the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles to massage them, a backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism that controls the tilt angle of the backrest, and a footrest/seat tilt angle adjustment device that controls the angle of the footrest relative to the seat and also controls the tilt angle of the seat surface of the seat. and a control unit that controls the backrest tilt angle control mechanism and the leg rest/seat tilt angle control mechanism, wherein the backrest is connected to the base in a tiltable and fixable manner so that the tilt angle can be changed according to the stage of treatment, and the seat is connected to the base in a tiltable and fixable manner so that the tilt angle of the seat surface can be changed according to the stage of treatment, and the seat and the leg rest are connected in a bendable and fixable manner so that the angle they form can be changed from 90 degrees to 180 degrees according to the stage of treatment, and the toe side end of the leg rest is maintained at the same height as the buttock side end of the seat. the control unit has an initial mode instructing the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism to make the backrest approximately vertical, and then instructing the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism to make the seat approximately horizontal and set the angle of the legrest relative to the seat at 90 degrees; a first massage mode instructing the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism to tilt the backrest backward, and then instructing the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism to maintain the angle of the backrest relative to the seat at 90 degrees and the angle of the legrest relative to the seat at 90 degrees; The massage mode is provided with a second massage mode that instructs the footrest/seat inclination angle control mechanism to increase the inclination angle of the seat in steps of 10 degrees each time to approach horizontal and to decrease the inclination angle of the seat so as to maintain the toe-side end of the footrest at the same height as the buttock-side end of the seat, and a sequence control unit that adjusts the order and duration of the initial mode, the first massage mode, and the second massage mode, and automatically changes the timing at which the angle between the seat and the footrest is brought closer to horizontal according to the user's symptoms, and the treatment head is configured to perform massage operations alternately on the left and right or simultaneously on the left and right depending on the stage of treatment.

In addition , the footrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism is designed to gradually stop the angle of the footrest relative to the seat in 10-degree increments, and to repeatedly change the angle between the two within a range of 90 degrees to 150 degrees depending on the stage of treatment.

Furthermore, the seat consists of a right seat section for supporting the right thigh and a left seat section for supporting the left thigh, and the leg rest section consists of a right leg rest section for supporting the right leg and a left leg rest section for supporting the left leg, and the leg rest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism is configured to independently control the angle of the right seat section relative to the right leg rest and the angle of the left seat section relative to the left leg rest.

The present invention has the above-described configuration and therefore has the following advantages.
1. The angle between the seat and the leg rest can be changed between 90 and 180 degrees, allowing the massager to perform the massage at the optimal angle depending on the stage of treatment. Also, the toe-side end of the leg rest is maintained at the same height as the buttock-side end of the seat, allowing the massager to bend and straighten the knees while maintaining a constant toe height. 2. The backrest tilt angle control mechanism and leg rest/seat tilt angle control mechanism are provided, along with a control unit that controls these. This allows the backrest angle and knee angle to be precisely controlled to perform the massage at the optimal angle.

3. The control unit is configured to include a sequence control unit, so that it is possible to select each massage mode depending on the stage of the massage, and it is possible to automatically perform the optimal massage.
4. The angle of the foot rest relative to the seat can be changed in 10-degree increments, allowing you to massage while changing the optimal angle, and also making it possible to change the angle repeatedly.

5. Because the leg rest section is configured to consist of a right leg rest section and a left leg rest section, it is possible to perform treatment while moving each leg independently, allowing for a more effective massage.

The fascia massager according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of the fascia massager according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the control unit of the fascia massager. Figs. 3a and 3b are side views showing the fascia massager during treatment, and Fig. 4 is a front view of the fascia massager.

As shown in Figure 1, the fascia massage machine 1 of the present invention comprises a base 10, a backrest 100, a seat 200, a footrest 300, a treatment element 400, and a control unit 500, and is a fascia massage machine that can automatically massage the fascia by maintaining and changing the patient's posture optimally in order to massage the gluteus maximus and medius muscles.

The backrest 100 is a member that supports the back of a user seated on the fascia massage machine 1, and is installed so that it can be tilted or fixed as shown in Figure 1. The seat 200 is a member that supports the buttocks and thighs (above the knees) of a user seated on the fascia massage machine 1, and the user sits on this member. In this embodiment, the seat 200 is configured so that the inclination angle of the seat surface 210 can be changed.

The leg rest 300 is a member that supports the area below the knees and toes of the user seated on the fascia massage machine 1, and is fixed to the end 200 of the seat 200 so that it can swing, as shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the leg rest 300 is configured so that the angle it forms with the seat 200 changes in response to changes in the tilt angle of the seat 200.

The base 10 is a component that forms the foundation of the fascia massager 1, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, is configured to support the backrest portion 100 and the seat portion 200 so that they can swing freely.

The treatment element 400 is a component that contacts the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles to massage them. In this embodiment, it consists of a pair of left and right treatment elements that are placed in contact with the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles and are used to massage the left and right gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. The treatment element 400 is a protruding component that presses against the affected area to provide massage. The treatment element 400 may also be configured to vibrate during massage to stimulate the affected area.

In this embodiment, the backrest 100 is connected to the base 10 so as to be tiltable and fixable, so that the tilt angle _θ1 can be changed according to the stage of the treatment. That is, before the treatment, the backrest 100 is approximately vertical so that the user can easily sit on it, and when the treatment starts, the angle is changed so that the backrest is tilted backward, and after tilting to an appropriate angle, it is fixed.

In this embodiment, the seat 200 is connected to the base 10 in a tiltable and fixable manner so that the inclination angle _θ2 of the seat surface 210 can be changed depending on the stage of the treatment. That is, before treatment, the seat 200 is horizontal so that the user can easily sit on it, and once treatment begins, the inclination angle _θ2 of the seat surface is changed so that the user's knees are lifted. Furthermore, as will be described later, the angle of the footrest 300 is also changed in response to the change in the angle of the seat 200.

In this embodiment, the angle between the seat 200 and the leg rest 300 can be changed depending on the stage of treatment. The angle between the seat 200 and the leg rest 300 can be changed between 90 and 180 degrees, and the connection is flexible and can be fixed.

In addition, as shown in Figures 3a and 3b, in this embodiment, the toe-side end 310 of the footrest 300 is configured to be maintained at the same height as the buttock-side end 220 of the seat 200 once treatment begins. This configuration makes it possible to perform a massage while bending and straightening the user's knees, while keeping the height of the user's toes constant.

In this embodiment, the treatment element 400 is configured to massage alternately on the left and right sides or simultaneously on the left and right sides depending on the stage of treatment. It has been found that greater effectiveness can be achieved by massaging the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles on each side. This configuration makes it possible to reliably and effectively apply pressure and massage to the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.

2, the fascia massage machine 1 in this embodiment is configured to include a backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 20, a legrest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism 30, and a control unit 500. The backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 20 is a member that controls the tilt angle _θ1 of the backrest 100. In this embodiment, the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 20 can adjust the angle of the backrest 100 between approximately 90 degrees and 150 degrees, and this can be changed as appropriate depending on the stage of the treatment.

The leg rest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism 30 is a component that controls the angle of the leg rest 300 relative to the seat 200, as well as the tilt angle _θ2 of the seat surface 210 of the seat 200. In this embodiment, the angle of the seated user's knees is changed from a right angle to horizontal depending on the stage of the treatment. In response to this, the tilt angle _θ2 of the seat surface 210 becomes gentler. This keeps the seated user's buttocks and toes horizontal, allowing the user to receive a stress-free massage.

The control unit 500 is a component that controls the overall operation of the backrest tilt angle control mechanism 20 and the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30. In this embodiment, the computer processing unit (not shown) implemented in the fascia massage machine 1 reads and executes an executable file for controlling the backrest tilt angle control mechanism 20 and the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 from a storage device (not shown), thereby controlling the operation of the backrest tilt angle control mechanism 20 and the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 and automatically performing a massage. However, this configuration is not limited to this, and any configuration can be selected and used as appropriate, such as a configuration in which control is performed by dedicated hardware or via a network.

In this embodiment, the control unit 500 has an initial mode 510, a first massage mode 520, and a second massage mode 530, and can be configured to execute these modes sequentially. Initial mode 510 constitutes the state before treatment, in which the control unit 500 instructs the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 20 to make the backrest 100 approximately vertical, and simultaneously instructs the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 to make the seat 200 approximately horizontal and set the angle of the legrest 300 relative to the seat 200 to 90 degrees. This makes it possible to ensure the user's posture before treatment.

First massage mode 520 ensures the user's posture during the initial stage of treatment. As shown in Figure 3a, this mode instructs the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 20 to tilt the backrest 100 backward, and simultaneously instructs the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 to maintain the angle of the backrest 100 relative to the seat 200 at 90 degrees and the angle of the legrest 300 relative to the seat 200 at 90 degrees. This places the user in the initial position for treatment, completing preparations for the treatment.

The second massage mode 530 is intended to ensure the user's posture during massage, and as shown in FIG. 3b, this mode instructs the leg-seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 to increase the angle between the footrest 300 and the seat 200 in steps of 10 degrees from the initial 90 degrees to approach horizontal, and at the same time, to decrease the tilt angle _θ2 of the seat 200 so that the toe-side end 310 of the footrest 300 is kept at the same height as the buttock-side end 220 of the seat 200. At this time, a massage is being performed by the treatment element 400. This allows the user to receive a massage while gradually stretching their legs while maintaining a stable posture, and enables a fascial massage to be performed while moving the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.

By having each of the above modes, it is possible to precisely control the angle of the backrest and knee area to perform a massage at the optimal angle.

In this embodiment, the control unit 500 can be configured to include a sequence control unit 540. The sequence control unit 540 adjusts the order and duration of the initial mode 510, the first massage mode 520, and the second massage mode 530. This configuration makes it possible to select each massage mode depending on the stage of the treatment, making it possible to automatically perform the optimal massage.

The sequence control unit 540 may further be configured to finely control angle adjustment in the second massage mode 530. In other words, the user's knees are initially at 90 degrees, and are massaged by the treatment element 400 while gradually being extended. However, it is possible to configure the timing for extending the knees (bringing the angle between the seat unit 200 and the footrest unit 300 closer to horizontal) to be automatically changed according to the user's symptoms. It is also possible to configure the knees to be repeatedly extended and bent. This configuration makes it possible to appropriately select a treatment according to the user's symptoms and perform a fascial massage, making it possible to provide a fascial massage machine with more effective treatment effects.

In this embodiment, the leg rest/seat tilt angle control mechanism 30 is configured to gradually stop the angle of the leg rest 300 relative to the seat 200 in 10-degree increments. It is also possible to configure the angle between the leg rest 300 and the seat 200 to be repeatedly adjustable within a range of 90 to 150 degrees depending on the stage of treatment. This configuration allows for massage while gradually adjusting the optimal angle, and for treatment to be performed by repeatedly changing the angle, resulting in a more effective fascia massage.

In another embodiment of the fascia massage machine 1 of the present invention, the seat portion 200 can be configured to include a right seat portion 230R for supporting the right thigh and a left seat portion 230L for supporting the left thigh, as shown in Figure 4.Similarly, the leg rest portion 300 can be configured to include a right leg rest portion 320R for supporting the right leg and a left leg rest portion 320L for supporting the left leg.

In this configuration, the leg rest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism 30 independently controls the angle of the right seat section 230R relative to the right leg rest 320R and the angle of the left seat section 230L relative to the left leg rest 320L. The tip of the right leg rest 320R is controlled to be at the same height as the buttocks-side end of the right seat section 230R, and the tip of the left leg rest 320L is controlled to be at the same height as the buttocks-side end of the left seat section 230L. This configuration makes it possible to perform treatment while moving the left and right legs independently, providing a fascia massage machine 1 that enables more effective fascia massage.

Next, a fascia massage using the fascia massage machine 1 according to the present invention will be described.
The thin fascia that covers the muscles includes the subcutaneous fascia and the deep fascia. The subcutaneous fascia is located within the subcutaneous tissue, and the deep fascia is located directly below and deep to the subcutaneous fascia. It consists of three layers: epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium, and it wraps around each muscle, allowing the muscles to move smoothly. Fascial massage focuses on massaging the deep fascia; for example, by applying pressure to the origin and insertion of muscles, the range of motion of the joints increases and the individual muscles can stretch and contract smoothly.

When performing fascial massage, simply applying pressure to the fascia itself is insufficient; instead, it involves using hands or elbows to compress the patient's fascia while also using external force to move the muscles underneath the fascia. For example, in cases of sudden lower back pain (acute lumbar myofasciosis) and chronic lower back pain, the muscles surrounding lumbar vertebrae 3, 4, and 5 are often compressed, causing tension in the erector spinae muscles and pain around the lumbar vertebrae. This is often caused by the gluteus maximus muscles surrounding the pelvis, particularly adhesions between parts of the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius fascia, or muscle stiffness that causes the pelvis to tilt and arch the lower back, compressing lumbar vertebrae 3, 4, and 5, resulting in pain. By loosening the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles, which are the cause of the pain, the fascial adhesions are resolved, the erector spinae muscles are relaxed, and pressure on the lumbar vertebrae is relieved, eliminating the pain.

Using the fascial massage machine 1 of the present invention not only loosens muscles, but also makes it possible to restore fascial adhesions and deformations to a normal state. In particular, fascial massage of the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles requires applying pressure to the muscles while moving the hip joint (bending and straightening the knee). By applying pressure and moving the muscles, adhered fascia is released and the muscles also relax. Furthermore, greater effectiveness can be achieved by fascial massaging the gluteal muscles one side at a time, rather than compressing and moving both gluteal muscles together.

When a muscle is massaged, it relaxes under strong stimulation. For this reason, alternating between left and right massages results in a stronger muscle response and a more effective massage compared to simultaneous left and right massages. Furthermore, with conditions such as sudden lower back pain and chronic lower back pain, pain is more likely to occur on one side than in the center of the spine or simultaneously on both sides. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on massaging the affected side. Therefore, the fascial massage machine 1 of the present invention primarily uses massagers positioned on the left and right to alternate between left and right to massage the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.

In addition, to eliminate fascial adhesions and muscle stiffness, it is effective to apply pressure and massage the muscles while moving them, which releases the fascia and allows the muscles to return to normal movement. When massaging the gluteus maximus and medius muscles using the fascia massager 1, bending and straightening the knees moves the gluteus maximus and medius muscles, so fascial adhesions and muscle stiffness can be eliminated by tapping or kneading the treatment element 400 from the outside.

More specifically, the user first sits on the seat 200 of the fascia massage machine 1 (initial mode 510). Then, the backrest 100 is slowly tilted to approximately 140-150 degrees. At this time, the seat 200, which is perpendicular to the backrest 100, also moves in response, lifting the knees. Because the angle between the seat 200 and the footrest 300 is initially 90 degrees, the knees also remain at 90 degrees (first massage mode 520). Then, while increasing the angle between the seat 200 and the footrest 300 by 10 degrees each time, the massagers 400 apply pressure to the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles alternately on the left and right (second massage mode 530). As the angle is increased to 90 degrees, 100 degrees, and 110 degrees, the muscles gradually tense up, causing the pain to gradually increase.

In this embodiment, the angle between the seat 200 and the leg rest 300 is changed from 90 degrees to 150 degrees while the massager 400 performs a massage, and then the angle is changed in the opposite direction from 150 degrees to 90 degrees while the massager 400 performs a massage. This configuration makes it possible to provide a fascia massage machine that maintains the patient's posture optimally and automatically massages the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles while moving the legs in stages.

Side view of the fascia massage machine according to the present invention Diagram explaining the control unit of the fascia massage machine Side view showing a fascia massage machine in use Side view showing a fascia massage machine in use Front view of a fascia massage machine

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Fascia massage machine 10 Base 20 Backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism 30 Footrest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism 100 Backrest 200 Seat 210 Seat surface 220 Buttocks side end 230R Right seat 230L Left seat 300 Footrest 310 Toe side end 320R Right legrest 320L Left legrest 400 Treatment element 500 Control unit 510 Initial mode 520 First massage mode 530 Second massage mode 540 Sequence control unit _θ1 tilt angle _θ2 tilt angle

Claims (3)

A fascia massager (1) for massaging the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.
The backrest (100) can be tilted and fixed freely, a seat (200) in which the tilt angle of the seat surface (210) can be changed, a footrest (300) that is fixed to the end (220) of the seat (200) in a swingable manner and moves in response to changes in the tilt angle of the seat (200), a base (10) that supports the backrest (100) and the seat (200), a pair of massagers (400) that contact the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles to massage, a backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism (20 ) that controls the tilt angle (θ ₁ ) of the backrest (100), and a tilt angle (θ 2 ) of the seat surface (210) of the seat (200) that controls the angle of the footrest (300) relative to the seat (200 ₎ and a control unit (500) that controls the backrest tilt angle control mechanism (20) and the legrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism (30),
The backrest (100) is connected to the base (10) in a tiltable and fixable manner so that the tilt angle (θ ₁ ) can be changed according to the stage of treatment, and the seat (200) is connected to the base (10) in a tiltable and fixable manner so that the tilt angle (θ ₂ ) of the seat surface (210) can be changed according to the stage of treatment,
The seat (200) and the leg rest (300) are connected so as to be freely bendable and fixable that the angle they form with each other can be changed between 90 degrees and 180 degrees depending on the stage of treatment, and the toe side end (310) of the leg rest (300) is maintained at the same height as the buttock side end (220) of the seat (200),
The control unit (500)
an initial mode (510) instructing the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism (20) to make the backrest (100) approximately vertical, and then instructing the leg-seat tilt angle control mechanism (30) to make the seat (200) approximately horizontal and set the angle of the legrest (300) relative to the seat (200) to 90 degrees;
a first massage mode (520) instructing the backrest tilt angle adjustment mechanism (20) to tilt the backrest (100) backward, and then instructing the leg-seat tilt angle control mechanism (30) to maintain the angle of the backrest (100) relative to the seat (200) at 90 degrees and the angle of the footrest (300) relative to the seat (200) at 90 degrees;
a second massage mode (530) for instructing the footrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism (30) to increase the angle between the footrest (300) and the seat (200) in steps of 10 degrees to approach horizontal, and to decrease the tilt angle (θ ₂ ) of the seat (200) so that the toe-side end (310) of the footrest (300) is kept at the same height as the buttock-side end (220) of the seat (200);
a sequence control unit (540) that adjusts the order and duration of the initial mode (510), the first massage mode (520), and the second massage mode (530), and automatically changes the timing of bringing the angle between the seat (200) and the footrest (300) closer to horizontal in accordance with the symptoms of the user;
The massagers (400) perform massage actions alternately on the left and right or simultaneously on the left and right depending on the stage of treatment. The fascia massage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the footrest/seat tilt angle control mechanism (30) is configured to stop the angle of the footrest (300) relative to the seat (200) in 10- degree increments and to repeatedly change the angle between them within an angle range of 90 degrees to 150 degrees depending on the stage of treatment. The seat (200) comprises a right seat (230R) for supporting the right thigh and a left seat (230L) for supporting the left thigh, and the leg rest (300) comprises a right leg rest (320R) for supporting the right leg and a left leg rest (320L) for supporting the left leg.
The fascia massage machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the leg rest/seat tilt angle adjustment mechanism (30) independently controls the angle of the right seat portion (230R) relative to the right leg rest portion (320R) and the angle of the left seat portion (230L) relative to the left leg rest portion (320L).