Wrist and arm strengthening devices

Abstract

To provide a tool capable of reinforcing a muscle force of a wrist or arm, the tool capable of capturing more water and efficiently obtaining resistance of water.SOLUTION: Provided is a wrist and arm muscle force reinforcement tool used in water, the tool including a tabular body, a handle support provided in one end of the body, a resistance amount adjustment part formed in another end, and a peripheral wall provided in a peripheral edge of the body excluding the one end. In the body, a portion (handle adjustment part) adjacent to the handle support is formed to be thicker than other portions. A surface of the body is formed with a descent inclined surface extending from the handle adjustment part to the resistance amount adjustment part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device that can be used in water to strengthen the muscles of the wrist and / or arm and can also be used for rehabilitation to restore muscle strength. [Background technology]

[0002] The applicant has already proposed several devices intended to be used in water to train and strengthen the muscles of the wrists and arms. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4727652 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5016098 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-63893 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 all share a common configuration with the present invention in that they each have a handle at one end of a flat, plate-shaped body that receives water resistance and a resistance adjuster at the other end of the body. These types of devices are intended to train the muscles of the wrist or arm by using the wrist, elbow, or shoulder as a fulcrum and moving the device in water against the resistance of water, which is heavier than air. However, the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 are formed with a uniform thickness overall, so when the device is moved in water, a large amount of water is not captured by the device. This results in poor water resistance and the desired effect cannot be achieved.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tool that can strengthen and train the muscles of the wrist and / or arm, which can capture more water and efficiently obtain water resistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention is a wrist and arm strengthening device for use in water, which has a plate-shaped main body, a handle support part provided at one end of the main body, a resistance adjustment part formed at the other end, and a peripheral wall provided around the periphery of the main body excluding the one end, and the part of the main body adjacent to the handle support part (handle adjacent part) is formed to be thicker than the other parts of the main body, and a downwardly sloping surface is formed on the surface of the main body from the handle adjacent part towards the resistance adjustment part.

[0007] In addition, in the wrist / arm strengthening device of the present invention, the downwardly sloping surface has a raised portion in the center along the central axis extending from one end of the main body to the other end, and includes a steeply sloping surface with a large inclination angle in the center from the raised portion to the resistance adjustment portion, and sloping surfaces on both sides of the raised portion that have a small inclination angle and a long distance from the handle adjacent portion to the resistance adjustment portion.

[0008] Furthermore, in the wrist / arm strengthening device of the present invention, the resistance adjustment unit is composed of at least one opening formed at the other end of the main body and a sliding plate that can open and close the opening. Here, the opening is rectangular, and a protrusion is formed along the edge of one of its four sides, which is located at the lower end of the downwardly inclined surface.

[0009] Furthermore, in the wrist / arm strengthening device according to the present invention, the downwardly inclined surface is surrounded by banks on three sides except for the direction of the resistance adjustment unit, and the banks surrounding this downwardly inclined surface are formed so that the opening of the resistance adjustment unit is located between extensions of left and right banks provided on both sides of the downwardly inclined surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention has a plate-shaped main body, a handle support portion attached to one end of the main body, a resistance adjustment portion formed at the other end, and a peripheral wall attached to the periphery of the main body excluding the one end, and the portion adjacent to the handle support portion (handle adjacent portion) is formed to be thicker than the other portions of the main body, and a downward sloping surface is formed on the surface of the main body from the handle adjacent portion toward the resistance adjustment portion.Therefore, when this wrist and arm strengthening device is used in water, the entire main body surrounded by the peripheral wall functions like a concave container with the resistance adjustment portion at the bottom, and it can capture more water than conventional devices and obtain stronger water resistance.

[0011] Furthermore, with the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention, the downward sloping surface has a raised portion in the center along the central axis extending from one end of the main body to the other, and includes a steeply sloping surface with a large inclination angle along the central axis from the raised portion to the resistance adjustment unit, and long inclined surfaces on both sides of the raised portion that have a small inclination angle on both sides from the handle adjacent portion to the resistance adjustment unit.Therefore, when this wrist and arm strengthening device is used in water, a large amount of water flows into the resistance adjustment unit, both flowing down the steeply sloping surface along the center line of the main body and flowing down the long inclined surfaces on both sides of the raised portion that form a valley, so to speak, parallel to the central axis, and this allows for more responsive water resistance than before.

[0012] Furthermore, in the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention, the resistance adjustment section is composed of at least one opening formed at the other end of the main body and a sliding plate that can freely open and close the opening, so that the size of the opening can be freely changed by sliding the sliding plate, and the amount of water resistance obtained when operating the main body in water can be freely adjusted.

[0013] This opening is rectangular, and one of its four sides, the edge located at the bottom of the downward sloping surface, has a ridge formed along the edge, so that water flowing forcefully along the downward sloping surface encounters great resistance as it overcomes the ridge, thereby providing greater water resistance than conventional products.In addition, when water that flows into the resistance adjustment section hits the peripheral wall, it tries to flow back toward the handle support section as a reaction, but the ridge prevents this flow and causes it to accumulate on the resistance adjustment section, so that the resistance adjustment section can capture water for a longer period of time than conventional products, providing water resistance for a longer period of time.

[0014] Furthermore, with the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention, the downward sloping surface is surrounded by banks on three sides except for the direction of the resistance adjustment section, so that water can be captured efficiently on the downward sloping surface.

[0015] Furthermore, with the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention, the bank surrounding this downwardly sloping surface is formed so that the opening of the resistance adjustment section is located between the extension lines of the left and right walls provided on both sides of the downwardly sloping surface, thereby achieving the effect of efficiently guiding water captured on the downwardly sloping surface to the opening of the resistance adjustment section without waste. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a wrist / arm strengthening device according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the wrist fixing band and finger fixing bands removed. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wrist or arm strengthening device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view along line A-A in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view along line B-B in Figure 2 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The main body 1 of the wrist / arm strengthening device according to the present invention has a handle support part 11 that supports a handle 10 at one end, and a resistance adjustment part 20 at the other end. The resistance adjustment part 20 is composed of at least one opening 21 (three in the illustrated embodiment) formed along the peripheral wall 30 at the other end of the main body 1, and a sliding plate 22 that can open and close the opening 21. In this drawing, the sliding plate 22 is in a position that closes the opening 21.

[0018] The handle 10 and the portion adjacent to its support portion 11 (handle adjacent portion) 12 are formed thicker than other portions of the main body 1, and its surface is located at the highest level a with respect to the center plane O of the main body 1, as is clear from the cross-sectional view of Figure 3.

[0019] On the other hand, as is clear from the cross-sectional view of Figure 3, in the resistance adjustment section 20 provided at the other end of the main body 1, the surface of the sliding plate 22 is located at a low level c that is closest to the center plane O of the main body 1 based on the center plane O.

[0020] As a result, downward inclined surfaces S1 to S3 are formed on the surface of the main body 1, which descend from the surface of the handle adjacent portion 12, which is located at the highest level a, towards the opening 21, which is opened and closed by the sliding plate 22, which is located at the lowest level c.

[0021] In this way, by forming downwardly inclined surfaces S1 to S3 on the surface of the main body, when the sliding plate 22 is in the state where it closes the opening 21, the entire main body 1 inside the peripheral wall 30 functions like a concave container with the surface of the sliding plate 22 as the bottom, so that when this wrist / arm strength strengthening device is moved around the wrist or elbow in water so that the surface of the main body 1 receives water resistance, it can capture more water than before and provide stronger water resistance.

[0022] The descending inclined surfaces S1-3 have a raised portion 15 in the center along the central axis O that extends from one end of the main body 1 to the other end, and include a steeply inclined surface S1 (see FIG. 4) with a large inclination angle along the central axis O from the raised portion 15 to the resistance adjustment unit 20, and long inclined surfaces S2, S3 (see FIG. 3) on both sides of the raised portion 15 that have a small inclination angle and extend from the handle adjacent portion 12 to the resistance adjustment unit 20. When this wrist / arm strengthening device is used in water, large amounts of water will flow into the resistance adjustment unit, both flowing down the steeply inclined surface S1 along the center line of the main body and flowing down the long inclined surfaces S2, S3 that are parallel to the central axis and form valleys, so to speak, on both sides of the raised portion.

[0023] As can be clearly seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 3, on the main body side of opening 21 of resistance adjustment unit 20, ribs 13 are formed at the lower ends of downwardly inclined surfaces S1, S2, and S3 of main body 1, along the edge of opening 21. Ribs 13 have a height corresponding to level b shown in Figure 3. By forming ribs 13 at the lower ends of downwardly inclined surfaces S1, S2, and S3, water flowing forcefully down along downwardly inclined surfaces S1, S2, and S3 encounters great resistance when it overcomes ribs 13, allowing the user to experience greater water resistance.

[0024] In addition, when water that has flowed into the resistance adjustment section 20 hits the peripheral wall 30, the water reacts by trying to flow back toward the handle 10, but the protrusions 13 prevent this flow and the water remains on the resistance adjustment section 20, so that the resistance adjustment section 20 can capture water for a longer period of time than before, thereby providing water resistance for a longer period of time.

[0025] 2 shows a finger insertion belt 40 and a back of hand insertion belt 50 that are used to grip the main body 1 without using the handle 10. [Example]

[0026] The inventors of the present invention, with the cooperation of Professor Ishii Naokata of the Department of Human Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, conducted experiments to verify the technical effects of the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention. The details of these experiments are described below.

[0027] Experimental Method A large plastic bucket was filled with 15°C water, and the subject was submerged up to his wrist in water 35cm deep. Muscle activity was compared when using the wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention (new model) and a conventional device (old model) at a speed of one movement per second. Movement patterns: Four patterns: palmar flexion, dorsiflexion, pronation, and supination. Grip Pattern: 1. Stand up the handle 10 and hold it like the handle of a fan (Grip 1). 2. Hold the handle 10 while tilting it down (Grip 2) 3. Hold the main body 1 using the finger insertion belt 40 and the back of the hand insertion belt 50 (grip 3). Load: Two patterns: one in which the sliding plate 22 fully closes the opening 21, and one in which it fully opens it. Sensor Location: The electromyography sensor was placed on the brachioradialis and ulnar flexor muscles between the wrist and elbow (where the flexor and extensor muscles are concentrated) with an inter-electrode distance of 2 cm. In addition, a waterproof film was placed over the electromyographic sensor, and then plastic wrap was wrapped around it, with the edges secured with tape and rubber bands to make it waterproof. RMS value is calculated from: MVC: The RMS of the muscle discharge volume for 0.5 seconds centered on the point where the myoelectric potential fluctuated the most from the start to the end of the movement was calculated.

[0028] Experimental results 1. Palmar flexion movement [Flexor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old one for all grips. At minimum load, muscle activity was greater with the new model than with the old model in grip 1, but was less with the new model in grips 2 and 3. The %MVC was below 30% at maximum load with the old model, whereas it exceeded 30% at maximum load with the new model, and these figures indicate that the training effect can be expected to be greater by performing repeated movements. [Extensor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity with the new model was more than 1.5 times greater than with the old model for all grips, and grips 1 and 3 in particular recorded more than three times the muscle activity. At minimum load, muscle activity was lower with the new grip than with the old grip for all grips. The %MVC exceeded 30% at maximum load with the new grips 1 and 2, a value that suggests that repeated movements will have a greater training effect. The experimental records of the palmar flexion movement are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0029] [Table 1]

[0030] [Table 2]

[0031] 2. Dorsiflexion [Flexor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old grip for all grips. In particular, muscle activity was recorded as more than 1.7 times greater with Grip 1. At minimum load, muscle activity was lower with the new model than with the old model in grips 1 and 2, but higher with the new model in grip 3. [Extensor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old one for all grips, with Grip 1 in particular recording more than twice the muscle activity. At minimum load, muscle activity was lower with the new model than with the old model in grips 1 and 2. The %MVC was close to 30% at maximum load for the new grips 1 and 3, and exceeded 30% at maximum load for the new and old grips 2, and these figures indicate that the training effect can be expected to increase by performing repeated movements. The experimental records of dorsiflexion movements are shown in Tables 3 and 4.

[0032] [Table 3]

[0033] [Table 4]

[0034] 3. Pronation movement [Flexor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old one for all grips. In particular, muscle activity was recorded as more than 1.7 times greater with Grip 1 and more than twice as great with Grip 2. At minimum load, muscle activity was greater with the new model than with the old model in grip 1, but was less with the new model in grips 2 and 3. The %MVC was close to 30% at maximum load with the new Grip 2, and exceeded 30% at maximum load with the new Grip 3, and these figures indicate that the training effect can be expected to be greater by performing repeated movements. [Extensor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity with the new grip was more than twice as great as with the old grip, regardless of the grip type. At minimum load, muscle activity was lower with the new grip than with the old one for all grips. The %MVC was nearly 30% at maximum load with the new Grip 2, a value that suggests that repeated movements will have a greater training effect. The experimental records of the pronation movement are shown in Tables 5 and 6.

[0035] [Table 5]

[0036] [Table 6]

[0037] 4.Supination movement [Flexor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old one for all grips. In particular, muscle activity was more than three times greater with grip 2 and nearly three times greater with grip 3. At minimum load, muscle activity was lower with the new model than with the old model in grips 1 and 3, but higher with the new model in grip 2. [Extensor muscles] At maximum load, muscle activity was greater with the new grip than with the old grip for all grips. In particular, grip 2 recorded more than three times the muscle activity. At the minimum load, muscle activity was smaller with the new model than with the old model in grip 1, but was greater with the new model in grip 3. The experimental records of the supination movement are shown in Tables 7 and 8.

[0038] [Table 7]

[0039] [Table 8]

[0040] conclusion The wrist and arm strengthening device of the present invention generates a larger load (water resistance) at maximum load and a smaller load at minimum load compared to conventional products, resulting in improved functionality. The wrist and arm strengthening device according to the present invention is expected to provide a greater training effect on the flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm than conventional devices in the three movements of palmar flexion, dorsiflexion, and pronation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Main unit 10 Handle 11 Handle support 12 Handle adjacent area 13 protrusion 15. Exciting Part 20 Resistance adjustment section 21 Aperture 22 Sliding plate 30 Peripheral wall 40 Finger Insertion Belt 50 Back of hand insert belt O Center plane of body 1 a. Highest level position b Middle level position c. Lowest level position S1,S2,S3 Downward slope

Claims

1. A wrist / arm strengthening device for use in water, having a plate-shaped main body, a handle support portion provided at one end of the main body, a resistance adjustment portion formed at the other end, and a peripheral wall provided around the periphery of the main body excluding the one end, wherein the portion of the main body adjacent to the handle support portion (handle adjacent portion) is formed to be thicker than other portions of the main body, and the surface of the main body is formed with a downward sloping surface from the handle adjacent portion towards the resistance adjustment portion.

2. 2. The wrist / arm strengthening device according to claim 1, wherein the downwardly sloping surface has a raised portion in the center along the central axis extending from the one end of the body to the other end, and includes a steeply sloping surface with a large inclination angle along the central axis from the raised portion to the resistance adjustment portion, and a long-distance inclined surface on both sides of the raised portion that extends from the handle adjacent portion to the resistance adjustment portion.

3. 3. The wrist / arm strengthening device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance adjustment portion is composed of at least one opening formed at the other end of the main body and a sliding plate that can open and close the opening.

4. 4. The wrist / arm strengthening device according to claim 3, wherein the opening is rectangular, and a protrusion is formed along the edge of one of the four sides of the opening, which is located at the lower end of the downwardly inclined surface.

5. 5. The wrist / arm strengthening device according to claim 1, wherein the downwardly inclined surface is surrounded by a bank on three sides except for the direction of the resistance adjusting portion.

6. A wrist / arm muscle strengthening device as described in Claim 5, characterized in that the resistance adjustment portion is located between the extension lines of the left and right embankments provided on both sides of the downward inclined surface.

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