Garment for massaging and stimulating lymphatic flow

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a garment for massaging and stimulating the lymph flow of a wearer's body part, in particular the extremities of the human body, the torso, and the head, by means of vibrating elements. The invention also relates to the use of vibrating elements for massaging and stimulating the lymph flow of a wearer's body part.

[0002] In the human body, the lymphatic or lymph-venous system is responsible for transporting, filtering, and disposing of excess fluids, toxins, and waste products into the general circulation. When lymphatic drainage is disrupted as a result of a chronic, inflammatory disease of the interstitium—the space between cells, tissues, and organs—so that fluid accumulates in the tissue, the medical term is lymphedema. This is recognizable by clearly visible swelling. Lymphedema often occurs in the limbs. Lymphatic drainage is used to treat lymphedema, particularly through exercise, manual lymphatic drainage, or compression therapy using bandages.

[0003] ITUD20110063 A1 describes a garment comprising at least one stimulating element, wherein the position of the at least one stimulating element on the garment is selected to correspond to an application point or trigger point. US 2020 / 0179667 A1 discloses a cap for promoting hair growth. US 2019 / 343205 A1 describes a belt with bumps for supporting and massaging the spine, relieving muscle tension and strain, and stimulating the circulatory system of the human body. CN 209 033 149 U describes an auxiliary device for massaging the hand.

[0004] An uninterrupted lymph flow is important because the entire fluid balance of the body depends on it, including that of the bloodstream and especially the venous circulation.

[0005] The invention is based on the object of providing a garment which massages the wearer's skin and consequently also stimulates the wearer's lymph flow.

[0006] It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment which serves to massage and stimulate the lymph flow of the extremities of the human body, the torso and the head of the wearer.

[0007] It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment in which the intensity and duration of the massage, as well as the process, switching and sequence of the massage and thus also the stimulation of the lymph flow can be regulated.

[0008] The invention is based on the finding that all of the above-mentioned objects can be achieved by a garment comprising at least one vibrating element.

[0009] The invention relates to a garment for massaging and stimulating the lymph flow of a body part of a wearer according to claim 1.

[0010] It is an advantage of the garment according to the invention that it is suitable for massaging and stimulating lymph flow for various parts of the body of a wearer, in particular the extremities of the human body such as arms and legs, as well as the torso and the head.

[0011] A further advantage of the garment according to the invention is that the wearer can stimulate lymph flow themselves using the garment. The garment according to the invention can therefore be used as a support or substitute for manual lymphatic drainage by a therapist.

[0012] A further advantage of the garment according to the invention is the ability to regulate the intensity and duration of the massage and the stimulation of the lymph flow.

[0013] Lymph flow in the context of this application means the natural, undisturbed direction of the flow of lymph fluid.

[0014] The garment is preferably flat, tubular, or band-shaped. The flat design can be, for example, a cap or headgear. The tubular design can be, for example, a stocking, in particular a stocking for the legs or arms. The band-shaped design can be, for example, a bandage. The garment is preferably a bandage, a dressing, a stocking, or headgear.

[0015] The garment comprises a fabric substrate, preferably the garment consists of a fabric substrate.

[0016] The fabric substrate preferably has one or more raised structures for massage, more preferably between 2 and 10,000 raised structures, more preferably between 50 and 5,000 or between 100 and 1,000 raised structures. The raised structures are preferably arranged on a side of the fabric substrate facing the wearer's skin. The raised structures can therefore come into direct contact with the wearer's skin and also massage it directly. The raised structures are preferably designed as nubs and / or as elongated raised structures, more preferably as nubs. The raised structures are set in motion by the vibrations of the vibrating elements. The movements of the raised structures serve to massage the wearer's skin and consequently stimulate lymph flow.

[0017] The fabric substrate of the garment is preferably flat, tubular, or band-shaped, as described above for the garment. The fabric substrate of the garment is preferably a woven fabric or a knitted fabric. The woven or knitted fabric or the fabric substrate is preferably elastic. The elasticity has the advantage that the fabric conforms to the wearer's body part, thus ensuring that the vibrating elements arranged on the fabric substrate are in direct contact with the wearer's body part.

[0018] Preferably, the fabric substrate corresponds to a medical compression class. There are four compression classes, I to IV, particularly for leg compression stockings. The compression class depends on the diagnosis, the location of the lymphatic drainage disorder, and the clinical findings, see, for example, the KVB (Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians).

[0019] The fabric substrate preferably lies directly on the wearer's body part. The fabric substrate preferably has an inner side facing the wearer's body part and an outer side facing away from the wearer's body part.

[0020] The vibrating elements function to vibrate by supplying energy, preferably by electric current, more preferably by direct current. The vibrating elements are therefore preferably electrically connected to a power source, such as a battery or accumulator. The vibration can be controlled and regulated by controlling the voltage and / or current using a regulator.

[0021] The plurality of vibrating elements are preferably arranged on an inner side of the fabric substrate facing the wearer's body part and / or on an outer side of the fabric substrate facing away from the wearer's body part. If the vibrating elements are arranged on an inner side of the fabric substrate facing the wearer's body part, the vibrating elements come into direct contact with the wearer's body part when the garment is worn. This has the advantage that the vibrating elements can directly massage the body part and stimulate lymph flow. If the vibrating elements are arranged on an outer side of the fabric substrate facing away from the wearer's body part, the fabric substrate itself is located between the wearer's body part and the vibrating element when the garment is worn. In such an arrangement, the vibrations caused by the vibrating elements are dampened.The vibrating elements can also be arranged on both the inside and outside of the fabric substrate. The fabric substrate can, in principle, have any number of vibrating elements, depending on the size and shape of the vibrating elements and the available surface area on the fabric substrate. Preferably, between 2 and 2000 vibrating elements are arranged on the fabric substrate, more preferably between 10 and 1000, and most preferably between 30 and 500. Typically, no more than 5000 vibrating elements are arranged on the fabric substrate.

[0022] According to the invention, the garment is a stocking for massaging and stimulating the lymph flow of the wearer's extremities. The stocking has a near-torso end and a far-torso end, wherein the number of vibrating elements arranged on the fabric substrate decreases from the far-torso end to the near-torso end. The extremities refer to the wearer's arms and legs. The near-torso end refers to the end of the stocking that is closer to the wearer's torso when the stocking is worn. Accordingly, the far-torso end refers to the end of the stocking that is farther from the wearer's torso than the near-torso end when the stocking is worn.

[0023] Preferably, the garment is a bandage for massaging and stimulating lymph flow in the wearer's extremities, and the bandage has a near-torso end and a far-torso end, wherein the number of vibrating elements arranged on the fabric substrate decreases from the far-torso end to the near-torso end. The extremities refer to the wearer's arms and legs. The near-torso end refers to the end of the bandage that is closer to the wearer's torso when the bandage is worn. Accordingly, the far-torso end refers to the end of the bandage that is further away from the wearer's torso than the near-torso end when the bandage is worn.

[0024] The vibrating elements preferably have a flat shape, more preferably all vibrating elements have a flat shape. The flat shape is preferably a disc. A flat shape has the advantage that the vibrating element can lie flat on the wearer's body part. As a result, the vibrations and thus the pressure are applied flatly to the body part, whereby the vibrations of the vibrating elements are also transmitted to the body part more efficiently. The vibrating elements are preferably arranged on the fabric substrate in such a way that the arrangement of the vibrating elements occurs along the course of one or more lymph vessels of the wearer. In other words, when the item of clothing according to the invention is worn, the vibrating elements lie along the course of a lymph vessel of the wearer's body part.This not only achieves efficient stimulation of the lymph flow, but also allows for targeted stimulation in the direction of lymph flow along the course of the lymphatic vessel by means of a corresponding circuit using a regulator.

[0025] The vibrating elements preferably comprise a vibrating micromotor, more preferably a vibrating micromotor. The vibrating micromotor is preferably disc-shaped. Vibrating micromotors are typically powered by direct current (DC) and are commercially available, for example, from Uxcell.

[0026] The vibrating elements are preferably firmly or detachably connected to the fabric substrate. Preferably, the at least one vibrating element is firmly connected to the fabric substrate by adhesive bonding. Preferably, the vibrating elements are detachably connected to the fabric substrate by means of a holding device. The holding element can be, for example, a clamp.

[0027] The fabric substrate preferably has at least one pocket for accommodating a vibrating element, preferably between 2 and 2000 pockets. Preferably, each pocket accommodates exactly one vibrating element. The at least one pocket is preferably arranged on the inside of the fabric substrate and / or on the outside of the fabric substrate.

[0028] Preferably, the fabric substrate comprises two fabric layers, and the at least one vibrating element is arranged between these two fabric layers. More preferably, all vibrating elements are located between two fabric layers of the fabric substrate, and even more preferably, all vibrating elements are located between the same two fabric layers of the fabric substrate.

[0029] The garment preferably has two or more vibrating elements and these two or more vibrating elements are electrically connected to one another by means of an electrical line.

[0030] The electrical line preferably comprises a cable and / or an electrically conductive seam. The electrical line preferably runs between two fabric layers of the fabric substrate or on an outer side of the fabric substrate. Each of these two arrangements has the advantage that the electrical line does not lie directly on the wearer's body part.

[0031] The garment preferably comprises a controller for controlling the vibrating elements or for controlling two or more groups of vibrating elements. The controller preferably comprises a potentiometer. The controller can be used to control the frequency of the vibration, the amplitude of the vibration and the duration of the vibration of the vibrating elements. Preferably, two or more groups of vibrating elements are arranged on the fabric substrate such that each group comprises at least one vibrating element; more preferably, between two and 50 groups, preferably between 2 and 25 groups or between 2 and 10 groups, of vibrating elements are arranged on the fabric substrate such that each group comprises between 2 and 50 vibrating elements, preferably between 2 and 30 vibrating elements or between 5 and 15 vibrating elements.

[0032] Each group preferably has an element density. Element density refers to the number of vibrating elements per unit area of ​​material substrate. The unit area can be chosen arbitrarily, but must be the same for each group. The unit area can therefore be, for example, 1 cm² or 5 cm². The more vibrating elements there are per unit area, the higher the number of vibrating elements per unit area. In other words, with a high element density, the vibrating elements are arranged closer to one another on the material substrate. Preferably, the two or more groups of vibrating elements each have a different element density or the same element density.

[0033] Each group of vibrating elements is controlled independently by the controller. Independently controlled means that each group can be switched on or off independently of the other groups—i.e., vibrate or not vibrate. In contrast, all vibrating elements in a group are interdependently controlled, meaning that all vibrating elements in a group are either switched on or off.

[0034] The controller is preferably programmable. The controller is preferably programmed such that only one group of the two or more groups of vibrating elements is switched on, while the other group(s) of vibrating elements are switched off. The term switched on means that the vibrating elements vibrate, and the term switched off means that the vibrating elements do not vibrate. More preferably, the controller is programmed such that only one group of the two or more groups of vibrating elements is switched on, while the other group(s) of vibrating elements are switched off, wherein the switching on of the groups occurs in a sequence such that the sequence of switching on of the groups follows a predetermined direction. The predetermined direction may be from the extremity towards the cardiac region or may be the direction of the course of the lymph flow.

[0035] In other words, the groups are switched on one after the other, so that a first group is switched on first, and then the next group is switched on while the first group is switched off again.

[0036] For illustration purposes, an example is described below. For example, the item of clothing is a leg sock which comprises two groups of vibrating elements. A first group of vibrating elements is arranged on the fabric substrate of the leg sock in such a way that, when the leg sock is worn, the first group comes to rest in the ankle region of the wearer's leg. A second group of vibrating elements is arranged on the fabric substrate of the leg sock in such a way that the second group comes to rest in the calf region of the same leg, i.e. above the ankle region and thus closer to the wearer's heart region than the first group. Initially, the first group is switched on, massaging the ankle region of the leg and consequently also stimulating the lymph flow. After a certain time, for example after a few minutes, the first group is switched off and the second group is switched on at the same time.The sequence of activation of the two groups is therefore sequential, from the extremities toward the wearer's heart region. The leg massage by the leg stocking therefore begins at the ankle region and works upwards toward the calf region, stimulating lymph flow accordingly.

[0037] The controller is preferably programmed so that the frequency of the vibrations of the vibrating elements corresponds to the pulse frequency of the wearer.

[0038] The garment preferably has a fastener. The fastener is preferably a zipper or a hook fastener. The fastener preferably extends over a portion of the garment or over the entire length of the garment. A fastener enables easier and more comfortable donning and doffing of the garment according to the invention. If the garment is tubular, for example, like a stocking, the fastener extends over a portion of the tube or stocking or over the entire length of the tube or stocking.

[0039] The invention further relates to the use of at least one vibrating element in a garment for massaging and stimulating the lymph flow of a body part of a wearer. All preferred embodiments of the garment according to the invention as described above and of the vibrating elements as described above are also preferred embodiments of the use according to the invention, where applicable.

[0040] Further details, features and advantages of the subject matter of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the accompanying figures. It shows

[0041] Figure 1 a side view of an embodiment in the form of a stocking of the garment according to the invention.

[0042] In Figure 11 shows an example of a garment in the form of a leg stocking (1) for massaging and stimulating the wearer's leg, the fabric substrate (2) of which is made of elastane. A plurality of vibrating elements (3) are arranged on the outside of the fabric substrate (2) and firmly connected to the fabric substrate (2). In this example, commercially available vibrating micromotors (DC, 3V, 70mA, 12000 rpm) from Uxcell were used as the vibrating elements (3). The micromotors are powered by a battery (not shown). In addition, the leg stocking (1) has a zipper (5) which extends over the entire length of the stocking. This makes it easy to put on and take off the stocking.

[0043] The vibrating elements (3) are divided into three groups, with each group in this example comprising a row of vertically arranged vibrating elements (3). The elements (3) in each row are connected to each other by means of electrically conductive cables (4). The first row in Figure 1 is arranged vertically on the left parallel to the closure (5) and comprises eight elements (3), while the second and third rows each comprise seven vertically arranged elements (3).

[0044] A controller (not shown) allows the three groups of vibrating elements (3) to be controlled independently. This allows for targeted massage and stimulation of specific regions of the wearer's leg. List of reference symbols

[0045] 1Leg stocking 2Fabric 3Vibrating element 4Electrical cable 5Zipper

Claims

1. An article of clothing (1) for massaging and stimulating lymphatic flow of a body part of a wearer, comprising a cloth substrate (2) and a plurality of vibrating elements (3), the cloth substrate (2) comprising one or more raised structures for massaging, the vibrating elements (3) being disposed on the cloth substrate (2), the article of clothing (1) comprising a controller for controlling the vibrating elements (3), and at least two groups of vibrating elements (3) being disposed on the cloth substrate (2) such that each group comprises a plurality of vibrating elements (3), the article of clothing (1) being a stocking, characterized in that each group of vibrating elements (3) is controlled by the controller independently of each other, and in that all vibrating elements (3) of a group are switched independently of each other.

2. The article of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one vibrating element (3) is disposed on an inner side of the cloth substrate (2) facing toward the body part of the wearer, and / or on an outer side of the cloth substrate (2) facing away from the body part of the wearer.

3. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one vibrating element (3) comprises a vibrating micromotor.

4. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one vibrating element (3) is permanently or releasably connected to the cloth substrate (2).

5. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cloth substrate (2) comprises at least one pocket for receiving a vibrating element (3).

6. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cloth substrate (2) comprises two cloth layers, and the at least one vibrating element (3) is disposed between said two cloth layers.

7. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the article of clothing (1) comprises at least two vibrating elements (3) and said at least two vibrating elements (3) are connected to each other in an electrically conductive manner by means of an electrical conductor (4).

8. The article of clothing according to claim 7, characterized in that the electrical conductor (4) comprises a cable and / or an electrically conductive seam.

9. The article of clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller comprises a potentiometer.

10. The article of clothing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the article of clothing (1) comprises a closure (5).