The present invention regards the field of aesthetic and sports medicine as well as rehabilitation. In particular it describes a device suitable to recognize and treat, by means of compressive microvibration, some diseases such as cellulite, tissue recompacting, lymphatic and venous stasis, edematosis, muscle and cicatricial contractures, shoulder-neck syndrome and pubalgias. Other fields of application of this device are pre-post-surgery treatments for athletes, sports massage, lymphatic drainage and the treatment of pains of various origins.
The so-called cellulite, also called “gynoid lipodystrophy”, “fibrous oedematous panniculopathy”, “adiposis edematosa”, “sclerotic fibrous oedematous panniculopathy”, “dermopanniculosis deformans”, “status protrusions cutis, and “liposclerosis”, is a topographical manifestation of the skin associated with depressions or introflections frequent in pelvic and abdominal areas, hips, glutei and thighs. It may also manifest itself associated with nodules in subcutaneous adipose tissue and, in rare cases, with a suspected inflammatory condition.
The great confusion about the name to give to cellulite reflects the difficulty of correctly understanding the nature of the phenomenon. Despite the great interest in the treatment of this condition and the huge market for topical treatments aimed at improving its appearance, cellulite is still an enigmatic condition for medical researchers.
The high incidence (80-90%) in the female population presenting cellulite blemishes in post pubertal age, in addition to the fact that it occurs without symptoms, makes it to be considered a normal physiological condition. It can instead be considered in a pathological framework pointing out that whereas it is true that it is a normal condition for many women, it does not apply to all, and that in its most serious forms it manifests itself with nodules painful to palpation which lead to suspicion of inflammatory processes. Furthermore, it is generally associated with an excessive accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue whose relationship with cardiovascular risk is unclear.
Dozens of different causes have been hypothesised, including: metabolism disorders, nutritional disorders, specific subcutaneous architectures, alterations of connective tissue structure, hormonal factors, genetic factors, microcirculatory system disorders, alterations in the lymphatic system, alterations in the extracellular matrix, inflammations.
Cellulite classifications are as follows:
Various measures can help prevent cellulite. Some attention in nutrition, constant physical activity, the use of comfortable and not too tight clothes, shoes with not too high heels and changes in posture are the easiest remedies to implement to prevent this annoying disorder.
The huge market of treatments for reducing cellulite ranges from topical products to liposuction. However, many of these treatments lack evidence of effectiveness. Below is a list of the most common ones:
As observable from the list above, which is not exhaustive, the market is saturated with treatments, among which there are some without sure results. Ineffectiveness is often due to the fact that, as explained above, the cause of cellulite and of the disorders it entails remain unclear.
There are also various patents claiming treatments for cellulite care such as US 2002147467 which provides for, first of all, an exfoliating treatment to maximize the absorption of the substances applied to the skin, then the administration of mechanical vibrations associated with electric pulsations in the area in question.
EP 1844750, on the other hand, claims an instrument for aesthetic treatments, therefore not of medical nature, which reduces cellulite through ultrasonic vibrations with a frequency between 25 kHz and 50 kHz.
GB 2303552 discloses a medical apparatus capable of reducing cellulite through ultrasounds at a frequency of about 3.3 MHz reaching a depth of 1.27-2.54 cm from the skin surface without overheating the part.
The worldwide patent, WO2007122656, owned by Fenix S.r.l., a market leader in anti-cellulite and anti-blemishes therapies as well as skin disorders in general, claims a computer-controlled vibratory device, used to treat parts of the body, the whose primary characteristic is to apply massages by inducing mechanical oscillations by means of a plurality of massage elements which are rotatably mounted about their own axis in a roller driven by an electric motor. The rotation of the roller around the shaft thereof is controlled by the operator through an electronic control unit, by selecting a program suitable for the treatment to be carried out. The device described in this patent performs a massage based on the resistance opposed by the muscles located under the adipose layer.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device and a compressive microvibration method customised on the disorders suffered by each patient, which performs four actions synergistically by acting on the vascular system at the microcirculation level, on the lymphatic system, on the tissue re-compaction and on the analgesic effect, thus also entailing a muscular effect. The operation of this device relies on a sensor capable of detecting the type of disorder and a dedicated software that determines the best therapy to be followed case by case.
According to the present invention, a device is provided and a method of use associated thereto that effectively overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks is described.
Advantageously, the device integrates handpieces to perform different treatments to be modulated depending on the disorder suffered by each patient. The treatment is particularly effective on muscle contractures, cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles and more. The device comprises a portable console provided, at the upper part, with a plurality of recesses each suitable to house a corresponding handpiece.
The device comprises at least 3 handpieces and possibly a fourth additional handpiece. Said handpieces are the following:
All said handpieces are power-supplied by special electrical cables which connect them to said console. They can also be easily disconnected by operating special connection means which connect the distal ends of said power supply cables to the electric motors included in said handpieces.
Each handpiece also advantageously includes a rotation and vibration adjustment device and an electric energy absorption sensor. The latter is suitable to detect the amount of electric energy absorbed by each handpiece in order to obtain the desired rotation and vibration of the corresponding rotors, communicating the detected data to a control unit programmed with a dedicated software. By processing the data coming from said electric energy absorption sensor, the control unit acts, in real time, on the frequency adjustment devices of the handpiece in order to obtain an immediate variation of the rotation and vibration frequency of said rotors, within a pre-established range comprised between 20 Hz and 700 Hz, preferably between 40 Hz and 355 Hz, depending on the mechanical strength provided by the skin tissue of the patient at contact with the handpiece in use.
This device constitutes the main advantage offered by the present invention, given that the operator is greatly facilitated in the work thereof by the possibility of automatically and immediately identifying and modifying the intensity of the treatment in areas affected by different muscle contractures or tissue disorders.
All the data relating to the therapy in progress are displayed and can be modified manually by the operator through a communication interface, preferably integrated in said console. More in detail, the method of use of the device according to the present invention consists of the following steps:
Other embodiments of the device which make it even more advantageous both in terms of efficiency and comfort for the operator and the patient, provide for the presence of at least one of the following devices:
Lastly, the rotating elements of the handpieces can consist of balls, ovoids or cylinders, preferably balls, arranged honeycomb-like or V-like manner, made of anti-allergy silicone or gel of hardness comprised between 5 shore and 100 shore, preferably 35 shore.
In a variant embodiment of said rotating elements (balls) the effects of the treatment described so far, already very advantageous, are added to the further beneficial effects of the “micro-vacuum” by virtue of the fact that the outer surface of said rotating elements is provided with a plurality of spherical cap-shaped recesses suitable to create a suction effect when pressed onto the patient's epidermis.
The advantages provided by the present invention will be clear in light of the description outlined up to now. Furthermore, they will be more apparent due to the attached figures and relative detailed description.
The invention will be described hereinafter in at least one preferred embodiment, provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
Now, the present invention will be illustrated purely by way of non-limiting or non-binding example, with reference to the figures illustrating some embodiments regarding the present inventive concept.
With reference to
Depending on the patient's disorder, the operator selects a vibrations and rotations frequency range that the rotors 2.11-3.10-4.9 of the handpieces 2-3-4 will perform when placed on the patient's skin.
The correctness of such range is verified immediately by virtue of the fact that each handpiece 2-3-4 is provided with electric energy absorption sensor which communicates the detected data suitable to detect the amount of electric energy suitable to communicate the detected data to said control unit programmed with a dedicated software suitable to process the data coming from said electric energy absorption sensors, possibly combined with pressure or motor revolutions sensor, and to consequently act, in real time, on the frequency adjustment devices of each handpiece 2-3-4 in order to obtain an immediate variation of the rotation and vibration frequency of said rotors 2.11-3.10-4.9, within a pre-established range comprised between 20 Hz and 700 Hz, preferably between 40 Hz and 355 Hz, depending on the mechanical strength provided by the skin tissue of the patient at contact with one of said handpieces 2-3-4;
Subsequently, the operator can proceed with the therapy by covering the areas of the patient's body or face to be treated with a handpiece 2-3-4 at a time, for a pre-established time interval, applying a predetermined pressure perpendicular to the patient's skin tissue. In the recesses 1.1-1.2-1.3 of the console 1, there are retention means which release the handpieces 2-3-4 only in the order pre-established by the therapy being carried out, preventing any possibility of error.
Each handpiece 2-3-4 has a rotor 2.11-3.10-4.9 consisting of rotating elements 2.11.4-3.10.5-4.9.5 or balls arranged in a honeycomb-like or V-like manner, made of anti-allergy silicone or gel with a hardness equal to 35 shore.
In greater detail, the first handpiece 2 is suitable to perform a percussive treatment on the patient's body and/or face. The balls 2.11.4 of the rotor 2.11 are installed on a corresponding plurality of semi-axes 2.11.2 equally spaced on the circumference of a ring nut 2.11.1. The rotor 2.11 is installed between a movable head which allows the movement of the membrane 2.2 and an angular support 2.5. Said head 2.2 is provided with an elastic membrane suitable to allow the execution of the percussion preventing the direct contact between the balls 2.11.4 and the epidermis of the patient. The angular support 2.5, on the other hand, is fitted, by means of a suitable insert 2.6 on an electric motor 2.7 which controls the percussion frequency of said rotor 2.11, power-supplied by a special cable, connected through common connection means 2.8, connected to said console 1. The angular support 2.5, the insert 2.6, the electric motor 2.7 and the connection means 2.8 are arranged in a pair of half-handles 2.9-2.10, which are suitable to engage each other so as to constitute the grip handle of said first handpiece 2.
The second handpiece 3, is suitable for carrying out an ablative micro-vibration treatment on the patient's body. The balls 3.10.5 of the rotor 3.10 vibrate and rotate in a convergent or divergent direction according to the arrangement of a plurality of pins 3.10.9 into which the balls 3.10.5 are fitted. More in detail, said pins 3.10.9 extend from an upper ring nut 3.10.2 to a middle ring nut 3.10.4 and from said middle ring nut 3.10.4 to a lower ring nut 3.10.6. The rotation of said middle ring nut 3.10.4 by said operator modifies the configuration of said pins 3.10.9 in order to cause the balls 3.10.5 to converge or diverge toward or from said middle ring nut 3.10.4. The rotor 3.10 rotates around an upper semi-axis 3.10.3 and a lower semi-axis 3.10.8 and it is inserted into a shell 3.4 provided with an open side and a closed side. The open side allows contact between the balls 3.10.5 and the patient's body while the closed side is directed toward the operator and comprises a pair of light indicators 3.3 suitable to signal to the operator the converging or diverging direction of the balls 3.10.5 on the patient's body. The rotor 3.10 is connected, at the upper part by means of a pin 3.10.1, to a bearing 3.2 and lastly to an upper plug 3.1 of the second handpiece 3. At the lower part, on the other hand, the rotor 3.10 is connected to an electric motor 3.5, integrated in the handle 3.6, power-supplied by a special cable, connected by common connection means 3.7 included in a lower cap 3.8.
The third handpiece 4, is suitable for carrying out a compressive micro-vibration treatment on the patient's face. The balls 4.9.5 of the rotor 4.9 vibrate and rotate around a plurality of pins 4.9.4 which extend from an upper ring nut 4.9.2 to a lower ring nut 4.9.6. The rotor 4.9 rotates, at a pre-established frequency, around a rotation axis 4.9.3 and it is inserted into a shell 4.4 provided with an open side and a closed side. The open side allows the contact between said balls 4.9.5 and the body of said patient; the closed side is directed toward the operator and it comprises a light pressure indicator 4.4.1 suitable to signal, to the operator, the pressure with which he/she is pressing the handpiece 4 on the patient's face. The rotor 4.9 is connected, at the upper part by means of a pin 4.9.1, to a bearing 4.2 and lastly to an upper cap 4.1, whereas at the lower part it is connected, by means of a joint 4.9.7, to an electric motor 4.6, integrated in a handle 4.5, power-supplied by a special cable connected through common connection means 4.8 included in a lower cap 4.7.
At the end of the treatment, the operator verifies whether each tissue was treated homogeneously by monitoring the increase of skin temperature, due to the vascularization of the tissue induced by the treatment, performed by the control unit which processes the temperature data detected by a temperature sensor of the handpiece 2-3-4 in use.
Lastly, it is clear that the invention described up to now may be subjected to modifications, additions or variants obvious to a man skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection outlined by the attached claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102019000000679 | Jan 2019 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2020/050221 | 1/13/2020 | WO | 00 |