Patent Application
20220111129
The technology of the disclosure relates to myofascial decompression (also known as cupping) and vibration useful for therapeutic treatment of tissues of a user.
Myofascial decompression (“MFD”), also known as cupping, is a technique that uses suction to create a vacuum that is applied to the skin and subcutaneous tissues. The vacuum is created by placing a cup device on a user's skin, and removing air from within a cup device, in order to decrease pressure within a cavity of the cup. Application of localized subatmospheric pressure to the skin causes the separation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues that is effective to break up scar tissue, increase mobility in various muscle groups and joints, and release stiffness. As such, the use of myofascial decompression is used to decrease pain in various muscle groups and joints within the body, to increase the health of a user, and/or to rehabilitate injuries. Often MFD is useful in the treatment of injuries caused from overuse such as bursitis, tendonitis, tendinosis, and other myofascial pain syndromes, such as, pain in the lower back, mid-back, neck, elbow, and shoulder.
MFD is often used widely by athletes and other physically active individuals who participate in various physical activities, exercises, or strenuous outdoor interactions, by which physical overreach may be encountered. Accordingly, these individuals often suffer from soft tissue damage which can lead to chronic pain, long-standing injuries, and other ailments if not properly treated. MFD may be used to enable a faster recovery from workout and to increase the user's overall physical well-being. Through the proper treatment, cups can be placed on the user's skin, to create suction that will effectively target fascia, or fibrous connective tissue that envelops and separates muscles and organs throughout the soft tissue structure in the body. The size and number of cups to be used may vary depending on the site(s) to be treated, as well as the size and shape of the user.
As a separate mode of treatment, therapists and medical professionals will often vibrate the skin of an individual in order to help loosen muscles, tissue, and increase blood flow. Vibration often allows for the release of tension in muscles and tissue in an area of a chronic injury to promote quicker healing. Additionally, vibration therapy can improve muscular strength, increase power development, increase kinesthetic awareness, decrease muscle soreness, increase range of motion, and increase blood flow under the skin. However, standard decompressors and vibration tools have limited penetration depth and ability to cling to tissue.
Exemplary aspects disclosed herein include a vibratory myofascial decompression (“MFD”) apparatus that is configured to provide relief or treatment to the soft tissue of a user's body. The vibratory MFD apparatus includes a cavity-defining cup configured to create a seal between a section of the user's body and the atmospheric air pressure conditions outside of the cup. The creation of subatmospheric conditions within the cup is configured to separate the skin and tissue underneath in order to promote healing of local tissues that may be injured or causing pain to a user. The cup further includes one or more electrically operated vibration elements that are positioned external to the cup, and are coupled with the cup to permit vibration to be transmitted through the cup to the skin of a user. The vibration of the sealed off muscles and skin is enabled to improve blood flow to the section of the body to which the cup is applied to provide therapeutic benefits.
In this regard, in exemplary aspects, the vibratory myofascial decompression apparatus includes a cup and at least one electrically operated vibration element positioned external to the cup. The cup includes a cup body defining an internal cavity, and a lip defining an opening into the internal cavity, with the lip being configured to contact a skin surface of a user. The cup also includes an exhaust port positioned inside the internal cavity configured to permit air to be withdrawn from the internal cavity. The at least one electrically operated vibration element is coupled with the cup to permit vibration to be transmitted through the cup body and the lip to the skin of the user.
In certain embodiments, the at least one electrically operated vibration element is configured to be coupled to a housing. The housing is configured to hold the cup and removably engage an exterior of the cup body. In certain embodiments, the housing may be configured to engage cups of different sizes to provide a modular device. The combination of vibration and suction generated by cupping can help with recovery from musculoskeletal injury and enhance the time between a next training session or physical therapy session.
In certain embodiments, a vibratory myofascial decompression system comprises a plurality of cups, a plurality of electrically operated vibration elements coupled with the plurality of cups to permit vibrations to be transmitted through the cup body and lip of each cup of the plurality of cups, and a controller configured to control operation of the plurality of electrically operated vibration elements. According to such an embodiment, each cup of the plurality of cups comprises a cup body defining an internal cavity, a lip configured to contact a skin surface of a user, and an exhaust port positioned inside the internal cavity configured to permit air to be withdrawn from the internal cavity.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
Exemplary aspects disclosed herein include a vibratory myofascial decompression (“MFD”) apparatus that is configured to provide relief or treatment to the soft tissue of a user's body. The vibratory MFD apparatus includes a cavity-defining cup configured to create a seal between a section of the user's body and the atmospheric air pressure conditions outside of the cup. Removal of air from the cup creates subatmospheric pressure conditions within the cup. The suction created by these conditions is configured to separate the skin and underlying tissue in order to assist with healing the section of the body which may be in pain or chronically injured. The cup further includes one or more vibration elements that are configured to transmit vibrations through the cup body and lip to the skin and underlying tissues proximate to the cup. The vibration of the skin and tissues may improve blood flow to the section of the body that is treated to assist with the healing process.
An exemplary vibratory myofascial decompression apparatus includes a cup having a cup body defining an internal cavity. The cup also includes a lip that bounds an opening of the internal cavity and that is configured to contact a skin surface of a user. The cup also includes an exhaust port positioned inside the internal cavity configured to permit air to be withdrawn from the internal cavity. The vibratory myofascial decompression apparatus also includes at least one electrically operated vibration element positioned external to the cup. The at least one electrically operated vibration element is also coupled with the cup to permit vibration to be transmitted through the cup body and the lip to the skin of the user.
Vibrations generated by one or more electrically operated vibration elements are transferred through the cup body to the lip of the cup, and transferred to the skin and underlying tissue of the user. Each of the electrically operated vibration elements are configured to be coupled to a housing. The housing is configured to engage an exterior of the cup body. In certain embodiments, the housing is configured to be removed from the cup, and may be used with cups of different sizes, resulting in a modular device wherein the vibration housing may be selectively engaged with cups of different sizes. The combination of vibration along with the suction generated by cupping can help with recovery from musculoskeletal injury, enhance user comfort, and/or reduce the time required before the next training session.
The lip 104 is configured to make an air-tight seal with the section of the user's skin. The lip 104, upon contacting the section of the user's body, is able to create a seal and a subsequent vacuum around the section of the body contacted by the lip 104. The seal is further bound by an opening of the internal cavity 103 of the cup 102. Upon the seal first being established by the lip 102, the internal cavity 103 is at a substantially atmospheric air pressure similar to the air pressure external to the cup 102. The existence of atmospheric air pressure conditions within the internal cavity 103 corresponds to a condition in which the cup 102 is not applying suction to the section of the user's body. Without being effectively suctioned on to the section of the user's body, the cup 102 can easily be moved, and can be considered inactive. When subatmospheric pressure conditions are established within the internal cavity 103, suction may be applied to a section of the user's skin.
The cup 102 also includes an exhaust port 106 to permit removal of air from the internal cavity 103 to establish a subatmospheric air pressure condition therein. The exhaust port 106 is positioned at the top of the cup 102 and is configured to release air pressure or receive air pressure through a valve 110, which may be embodied in a biased (e.g., spring-loaded) check valve that, when closed, enables a pressure differential to be maintained. In order for the cup 102 to create suction around the section of the user's body bounded by the lip 104, atmospheric air pressure is released from the internal cavity 103 of the cup 102. An air pressure releasing device (e.g., suction pump or the like) can be arranged to withdraw air from the internal cavity 103 to establish a subatmospheric air pressure condition therein, thereby applying suction on the section of the user's body that is contacted by the lip 104 of the cup 102. In certain embodiments, the valve 110 may include a spring biased movable pin 108 positioned within the exhaust port 106.
In one example, the pin 108 can cooperate with one or more seating surfaces of the valve 110 in order to create a seal between the internal cavity 103 of the cup 102, and the atmospheric air pressure external to the cup. In some examples, a user can operate the pin 108 to enable release of a pressure differential and thereby permit the cup device 100 to be removed from the section of the user's body.
The cup device 100 can further comprise a plurality of electrically operated vibration elements 107 positioned around the external portion of the cup 102. Each of the electrically operated vibration elements 107 is configured to vibrate the body of the cup 102, in order to create a vibration effect at the section of the user's body that is contacted by the lip 104. The electrically operated vibration elements 107 can be configured to vibrate simultaneously or vibrate randomly at various positions around the body of the cup 102. The electrically operated vibration elements 107 can also be set at one or more frequencies in order to be adapted for various therapies or treatment regimens for different tissues. In some instances, the electrically operated vibration elements 107 can be manipulated by an operator or the user. The electrically operated vibration elements 107 can also be configured to vibrate in a pattern or after a predetermined time period. In some instances, a set of electrically operated vibration elements 107 could be selected to vibrate during a first time period, and a second set can be configured to vibrate during a second time period, wherein the first and second time periods may be non-overlapping or partially overlapping in character. The electrically operated vibration elements 107 can further include a set of wire leads 112a-112f that are configured to send one or more signals to each of the electrically operated vibration elements 107. In certain embodiments, each electrically operated vibration element 107 may be powered by a battery, by a power supply, or other power source operatively coupled with the wire leads 112a-112f. One or more potentiometers, variable resistors, or the like may be used to adjust amplitude and/or frequency of vibrations generated by the electrically operated vibration elements 107.
In one example, at least one electrically operated vibration element 107 comprises a disc motor that is attached to an interface element 200, as shown in
The interface element 200 is configured to be removably coupled with a housing 300, as depicted in
The housing 300 further includes a securing device 310 that is configured to be secured to the cup 102 inside of the internal cavity 304 of the housing 300.
In certain embodiments, the securing device 310 can comprise a ratcheting closure. The ratcheting closure can be configured to permit at least a portion of the housing 300 to be tightened around an outer perimeter of the body of the cup 102. The ratcheting closure can also be configured to manipulate the distances between each of the first securing portion 310a and the second securing portion 310b. As the ratcheting closure is tightened, distance between the first securing portion 310a and the second securing portion 310b will vary based on the degree by which a user or operator has tightened the housing 300 around the cup 102.
Additionally, the housing 300 comprises a top portion 402 that is secured to the top of the interface element 200, and to the body 302 of the housing 300. The top portion 402 is configured to receive a set of fasteners through one or more through holes 404a-404c that are configured to receive the set of fasteners in order to secure the top portion 402, and the interface element 200, to the body of the housing 302. The fasteners are configured to be secured to the body 302 via one or more fastening elements 406 that can be threaded to secure the fasteners received through the top through holes 404a-404c. The fastening element can be one or more of screws, bolts, or another fastening mechanism.
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for therapeutic treatment of a user utilizing a MFD apparatus as disclosed herein. Such a method includes placing the lip of the cup in contact with a skin surface of the user; withdrawing air from the internal cavity of the cup through the exhaust port to establish suction between the cup and the skin surface of the user; and supplying electric power to the electrically operated vibration element to cause vibration to be transferred through the cup body and the lip of the cup to the skin surface of the user.
In one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a vibratory myofascial decompression system that comprises a plurality of cups, a plurality of electrically operated vibration elements, and a controller configured to control operation of the vibration elements and/or pressure conditions within the plurality of cups. An exemplary vibratory myofascial decompression system 600 is schematically illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the vibratory myofascial decompression system 600 of
The computer system 700 in this embodiment includes a processing device or processor 702, a main memory 704 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc.), and a static memory 706 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), which may communicate with each other via a data bus 708. Alternatively, the processing device 702 may be connected to the main memory 704 and/or static memory 706 directly or via some other connectivity means. The processing device 702 may be a controller, and the main memory 704 or static memory 706 may be any type of memory.
The processing device 702 represents one or more general-purpose processing devices, such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing device 702 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, or other processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing device 702 is configured to execute processing logic in instructions for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.
The computer system 700 may further include a network interface device 710. The computer system 700 also may or may not include an input 712, configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 700 when executing instructions. The computer system 700 also may or may not include an output 714, including but not limited to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device (e.g., a keyboard), and/or a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse).
The computer system 700 may or may not include a data storage device that includes instructions 716 stored in a computer readable medium 718. The instructions 716 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704 and/or within the processing device 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700, the main memory 704 and the processing device 702 also constituting computer readable medium. The instructions 716 may further be transmitted or received over a network 720 via the network interface device 710.
While the computer readable medium 718 is shown in an embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the processing device 702 and that cause the processing device 702 to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments disclosed herein. The term “computer readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media.
The embodiments disclosed herein include various steps. The steps of the embodiments disclosed herein may be executed or performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps, or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is in no way intended that any particular order be inferred.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Since modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and variations of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/091,262 filed on Oct. 13, 2020, wherein the entire disclosure of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63091262 | Oct 2020 | US |
