77 results about "Muscle tone" patented technology

Various approaches to detecting arousals from sleep involve generating signals modulated by muscle tone, brainwave activity, and / or other nervous system activity associated with a patient's autonomic arousal response. Generating the signals and / or detecting autonomic arousals from sleep may be performed using an implantable device. Arousal information may be useful to identify sleep disorder events associated with arousals from sleep, for diagnostic purposes, and / or for therapy adjustment.

A device and method for magnetic stimulation of muscles for the diagnosis and relief of a breathing disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Magnetic stimulation is used to stimulate muscles which serve to stabilize the upper airway of an individual whose nocturnal apneic events are related to diminished muscle tone. A sensor monitors a physiologic characteristic of the patient, a coil is energized to stimulate the appropriate muscles associated with the upper airway, a power supply provides power for energizing the coil, and a control system controls the application of power to the coil based on the output of the sensor. Diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is accomplished by measuring the subject's compliance in the presence and absence of the magnetic stimulation of the upper airway muscles. The smaller the difference between these two compliance levels, the more likely that patient suffers from obstructive sleep apnea.

A method and device for creating an afferent stimulus for preventing obstructive sleep apnea are disclosed. The device includes at least one electrode and a stimulator, of which at least one electrode stimulates the genioglossus muscle of a patient having obstructive sleep apnea. The electrode is capable of conducting selected electrical stimulation generated by the stimulator, and the system is capable of delivering the selected electrical stimulation during a selected time of day. The electrical stimulation is selected to maintain sufficient muscle tone of the genioglossus muscle to prevent it from obstructing the airway during sleep, preferably at a stimulus intensity low enough to avoid awakening the patient during sleep. A removable mouthpiece having a battery, at least one electrode, and a controller, and optionally a sensor, can be used for providing the stimulation.

A topical skin rejuvenation preparation to relieve wrinkles, increase the skin's natural production of hyaluronic acid, reverse the lack of suppleness, hydrate from within, erase spider veins, reduce varicose veins, lighten aging dark blotches (“liver spots” / Lentigos, Senile Lentigines), decrease acne, and reduce under eye puffiness includes Glucosamine (2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucose), a hexosamine (6 carbon amino sugar), including its derivative and precursor compounds: Glucosamine Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Glucose-6-Phosphate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Fructose-6-phosphate, Glucosamine-6-Phosphate, to increase production of Hyaluronic acid and collagen from Glucosamine Sulfate, its precursors and derivatives and to increase skin muscle tone by Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) while over coming deficiency it creates in each cell's production of PhosphatidylCholine, whose deficiency damages cell membranes, as well as mitochondrial and lysosome membranes.

In respects of limitations and problems of motor function training devices, the present invention provides a wearable and convertible device and a method for controlling combined motor function training. This device integrates the functions of both passive stretching function in the existing CPM devices and additional active assistive training function. Without a force / torque sensor element in the device, the present passive stretching control can still be adapted to hypertonia (high muscle tone or stiffness of joints) of the limb, and the present active assistive control can still be implemented for enhancing voluntary active movement from patients. With such present method, much more applications of active assistive training are supported at substantially no additional cost. On the other hand, the safety of such stretching devices without using force / torque sensor is improved, which assists in increasing the efficiency of the device of the present invention.

A preferably non-electrical nerve communication enhancement tool that sends specific, pre-timed, controlled vibrational and / or acoustical stimulation frequencies to the body to enhance nerve communication for the purpose of assisting in proper function of skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and facilitating rapid and improved cerebellar timing circuit and related cerebellar learning mechanism pathways such as the inferior olivary-Purkinje-Thalamus cell system and other similar neuronal pools, to improve muscle memory, coordinated functional neuron-musculo-skeletal performance improvement, enhance blood flow, increased range of motion, flexibility, strength and dexterity, neuromuscular re-education, muscle tone recovery, pain modulation, improved eye-hand coordination, gait improvement, balance and stability gains, kinetic chain integration, neurological performance enhancement, sensory dysfunction reduction, and improvement in mental and cognitive function.

In respects of limitations and problems of motor function training devices, the present invention provides a wearable and convertible device and a method for controlling combined motor function training. This device integrates the functions of both passive stretching function in the existing CPM devices and additional active assistive training function. Without a force / torque sensor element in the device, the present passive stretching control can still be adapted to hypertonia (high muscle tone or stiffness of joints) of the limb, and the present active assistive control can still be implemented for enhancing voluntary active movement from patients. With such present method, much more applications of active assistive training are supported at substantially no additional cost. On the other hand, the safety of such stretching devices without using force / torque sensor is improved, which assists in increasing the efficiency of the device of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a device and system to measure and assess superficial skeletal muscle mechanical and neuromuscular contractile characteristics, and interpret the results to provide metrics with quantifiable and qualitative descriptors relating to muscle function. The present device provides a further type of mechanomyography and a new use for acceleromyography by measuring the mechanical muscle movement of an involuntary stimulated muscle from an automated electro-stimulation protocol to determine muscle contractile properties. Muscle twitch response during the latent, contraction and relaxation phase is measured using an array of multiple accelerometers on a sensor pad to assess and diagnose muscle. function from various measurements. This information is processed using algorithms to determine muscle function abnormalities, muscle activation patterns, muscle symmetry of lateral muscle pairs, muscle synchronization of antagonist muscle, muscle force, muscle acceleration, muscle speed, muscle tone, muscle fatigue, muscle power / torque and muscle efficiency.

This invention provides methods for treating a variety of disorders using localized electromagnetic radiation directed at excitable tissues, including nerves, muscles and blood vessels. By controlling the wavelength, the wavelength bandpass, pulse duration, intensity, pulse frequency, and / or variations of those characteristics over time, and by selecting sites of exposure to electromagnetic radiation, improvements in the function of different tissues and organs can be provided. By monitoring physiological variables such as muscle tone and activity, temperature gradients, surface electromyography, blood flow and others, the practitioner can optimize a therapeutic regimen suited for the individual patient.

Various approaches to detecting arousals from sleep involve generating signals modulated by muscle tone, brainwave activity, and / or other nervous system activity associated with a patient's autonomic arousal response. Generating the signals and / or detecting autonomic arousals from sleep may be performed using an implantable device. Arousal information may be useful to identify sleep disorder events associated with arousals from sleep, for diagnostic purposes, and / or for therapy adjustment.

An improved fabric for orthopedic devices is provided, being a knitted fabric produced on either a warp or weft knit system and utilizing a filament yarn selected from nylon and polyester as well as spandex. The fabric enhances freedom of movement while stimulating blood flow and muscle tone. The fabric has an elasticity that enables closure of orthopedic and other devices by placing the hook component of a Velcro (®) strip at any convenient point rather than aligning it with the loop component of the Velcro (®). The fabric is more convenient, faster and easier for many incapacitated persons, enhancing wearing comfort. Its mesh structure makes it more porous, which enhances the air circulation and the moisture management in creating a cooling effect on the wearer's skin and ready evaporation of perspiration, while still providing therapeutic warmth without heat buildup.

Methods and systems for diagnosing or assessing rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Muscle tone or activity variance during rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep intervals of a polysomnogram are compared. A threshold based on the NREM data is used to identify a subject-specific threshold for abnormality in the REM variance. A metric that includes the percentage of REM variance exceeding the threshold relates to RBD.

A device for joint rehabilitation after injury or surgery and a method of use are described and taught. The device automatically senses and manipulates performance parameters to optimize the rehabilitation process in response to user performance. In particular, device sets the pedal throw and other variables automatically to be in an optimum range for the patient based on the respective patient data. A motor resistance unit allows for the user to experience variable resistances while using the device. This not only increases the patient's range of motion but also strengthens and increases muscle tone. In order to use the device, the patient or user simply inputs preliminary parameters and the on-board computer then calculates a rehabilitation plan, and monitors patient performance and adapts to changes. The central data server permit central storage of all data associated with usage of the rehab devices and is fully HIPAA compliant.

Compounds of structural formula I are modulators of the androgen receptor (AR) in a tissue selective manner. They are useful as agonists of the androgen receptor in bone and / or muscle tissue while antagonizing the AR in the prostate of a male patient or in the uterus of a female patient. These compounds are therefore useful in the enhancement of weakened muscle tone and the treatment of conditions caused by androgen deficiency or which can be ameliorated by androgen administration, including osteoporosis, osteopenia, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, periodontal disease, bone fracture, bone damage following bone reconstructive surgery, sarcopenia, frailty, aging skin, male hypogonadism, postmenopausal symptoms in women, atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, aplastic anemia and other hematopoietic disorders, inflammatory arthritis and joint repair, HIV-wasting, prostate cancer, cancer cachexia, Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophies, cognitive impairment, decreased libido, premature ovarian failure, and autoimmune disease, alone or in combination with other active agents.

Methods for treating female sexual dysfunction are provided. A pharmaceutical composition containing a vasoactive agent selected from vasoactive intestinal potypeptide (VIP) and VIP agonists is administered to the vagina and / or vulvar region of the individual undergoing treatment. The formulations are also useful for improving vaginal muscle tone and tissue health, enhancing vaginal lubrication, and minimizing excess collagen deposition. Pharmaceutical formulations and kits are also provided.

The invention discloses a wearable human upper limb muscle fatigue detection and training system based on multi-sensor data fusion. The system comprises a signal acquisition module, a data processingmodule, an alarm module and a human-computer interaction module. A surface electromyography sensor, a muscular sound sensor and a blood oxygen saturation sensor constitute a multi-sensor acquisition array which are worn on that measured upper limb part, and data fusion is carry out based on a weighted average method to synthetically calculate the muscle fatigue parameters of the upper limb, thereby greatly improving the detection accuracy of the muscle fatigue of the upper limb. If the parameter reaches the preset value, the system can give the fatigue alarm reminder. The system also has the function of muscle strength training, By collecting surface electromyography signals and muscle tone signals to judge human upper limb movements and muscle strength, and real-time monitoring muscle fatigue status, using wireless transmission mode to upload data to the human-computer interaction module, matching with the virtual game, make the upper limb muscle strength training process more interesting, and effectively improve its training effect.

An exercise pediatric stationary tricycle is designed to look like a standard child's tricycle. It comes in bright, primary colors and has a large front wheel and two smaller rear wheels just like a normal tricycle. While the wheels are stationary, the pedals are designed to be driven by a programmable electric motor. The electric motor allows the adult to set the speed and length of time of the exercise. The seat and handlebars are adjustable in a horizontal direction. In addition, the handlebars are adjustable in a vertical direction. The attractive appearance and functional design of the exercise tricycle fulfills the need of some children with low or no muscle tone in their lower extremities to enjoy exercising their legs.

An electrical impulse apparatus for facial massage includes a microprocessor, an impulse generator, and a pad. The microprocessor controls the impulse generator to generate pulsed signals to two electrodes on the pad via two conductive lines, respectively. When the pad is attached to the facial skin, by using a set of switch buttons to power on / off the pulse generation and then in turn to increase / decrease the strength of the pulse generation, the electro-muscle stimulation (EMS) is applied to facial muscles and thereby increase the blood circulation in the surrounding area. As such, the muscle tone and electricity of facial tissue are enhanced to minimize the wrinkle and sagging of facial muscles due to aging process.

The present invention provides a muscle tone measuring apparatus, wherein the forces applied for flexion and extension of a muscle of a subject (1) are detected by at least one force sensor (20a, 20b). Then the muscle torque for flexing and extending the muscle is calculated. In addition, the muscle angle of the muscle of the subject is measured by a sensor (30). Then the changes over time of themuscle torque and the muscle angle during the flexion and extension of the muscle of the subject are separated into the maximum extension static phase, dynamic flexion phase, maximum flexion static phase, and dynamic extension phase. The muscle tone feature quantities are extracted from the relationship between the muscle angle and the muscle torque in at least one of the dynamic flexion phase and the dynamic extension phase. By using the muscle tone feature quantities, the muscle tone can be objectively evaluated using a very simple apparatus and a method which is close to the diagnostic method performed in the past by a doctor.

A method, system and apparatus for detecting a disorder of the central nervous system, comprises: recording an EMG from muscle groups on left and right hands of patient; separating a gesture writing action into time intervals of postural and writing activity; recording EMG activity from the same muscle groups during a resting time period; determining a plurality of indicators, comprising: identifying tremor peaks in EMG spectral density; determining muscle tone like stiffness from EMG spectral density determining muscle weakness from EMG intensities; determining patterns of correlation waves; determining a delay from when a subject started writing after hearing an audio signal; determining the time of writing activity, when a pen is touching a tablet; determining the heights and shapes of characters from pen traces on a tablet; and assigning a point value to every indicator and calculating a combined score based on the point values.

A sensory pelvic garment for pediatric patients with various pressure panels to assist with inhibition or facilitation for hypotonic or hypertonic muscle tone. The garment is used to treat pediatric patients with neurological muscular impairments by providing pressure to inhibit abnormal muscle tone and to facilitate postural awareness.

The invention relates to a medical dressing, in particular to a medical biological repairing dressing for pregnant woman striae gravidarum and a preparation method thereof. Olive oil, camellia oil, almond oil, hyaluronic acid, allantoin, collagen tripeptide, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, amino acid and a chlorella growth factor are taken as raw materials which interact with one another, so that effective components can rapidly permeate skin cells, prompt the microcirculation of epidermis, stimulate cell growth, increase cell oxygen content, and enhance skin regeneration and repair of wrinkle gaps. The medical biological repairing dressing has the effects of simulating cell mitosis and growth, prompting muscle metabolism, improving muscle tone, resisting oxidization, delaying muscle aging, preventing muscle fracture and smoothening and moistening skin, and can be used for treating striae gravidarum.

The invention provides an emergency brake system based on a brain-computer interface technique and relates to an automotive emergency brake system. The emergency brake system is provided with a brain wave and muscle tone collection device and an automobile-assisted emergency brake processing device, wherein the brain wave and muscle tone collection device is provided with an electrode cap, electric signal amplifying and processing circuits, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) microprocessor, a wireless emitting module and a muscle tone sensor; the automobile-assisted emergency brake processing device is provided with a wireless receiving module, a main controller, an air bag device, an automobile braking module, an accelerator shielding module, an automobile speed indicator, a distance measurement instrument, a pedaling accelerometer and an overall vehicle accelerometer. According to the emergency brake system, the rapid emergency brake can be realized, the thought of a human body is faster than actions of the human body, and the little time difference tends to decide the severity of an accident during the high-speed movement of an automobile; improper operations of a driver can be assisted to be corrected; air bags can be popped out when the accelerated speed exceeds the bearing range of the human body during the braking of the overall automobile.

Human muscle tissues involve striated and smooth muscles. Each muscle tissue possesses its own special function. Differences of physiology functions among the muscle tissues are mainly determined by their various initiation and signal transmission systems, defined as the pre-muscle molecular motor mechanism, or initiating and regulating mechanism. The current medications, drugs, and therapies for diseases and symptoms related abnormal increased muscle tone or excessive muscle contraction are aimed just at the pre-muscle molecular motor mechanisms, whereas without directly intending to effect on the muscle molecular motor mechanism i.e. the contractile apparatus mechanism at all, which, however, is in common for all kinds of muscle tissues. The muscle molecular motor mechanism mainly involves recycling of actin-myosin filament cross-bridge formation and sliding movement. In the process, bio-energy provided by ATP hydrolysis is necessarily required. Therefore, abnormal increased muscle tone or excessive contraction of muscle tissues under diseased conditions may be modified by inhibition of the muscle molecular motor with the actin-myosin ATPase inhibitor, which blocks hydrolysis of ATP, then reduces release of bio-energy for the muscle contraction.Our studies in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated that BDM, an ATPase inhibitor, thereby, its analogues, derivatives, and other chemicals possessing similar effect on ATPase may be used as bio-energy muscle relaxants (general muscle relaxants).

A passive exercise apparatus for use in an erect, non-recumbent seating position that provides an unstable platform capable of encouraging an omni-directional involuntary rocking motion that will result in the involuntary contractions of muscles involved in maintaining muscle tone and promoting proper posture (viz., the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus muscles, external oblique muscles, and other muscles in the abdominal, lumbar / sacral, and pelvic regions) in order to counterbalance the rocking forces. The purpose of the device is to provide continuing involuntary contractions of these muscle groups (a recognized form of EXERSITTING, which is the combined execution of concentric and isometric muscle exertion and contractions performed while sitting on the apparatus of the present invention in order to help maintain muscle tone and encourage good seated posture.

A method for measuring a muscle tone is used in a muscle tone measuring system including a sensing end and a processing end. The method for measuring the muscle tone includes respectively arranging the sensing end and the processing end on first and second limb parts of a limb that are interconnected by a joint of the limb. The sensing end detects a strength of a force that is applied to the first limb part and a plurality of physical quantities of a movement of the first limb part. The processing end detects an environment temperature and the physical quantities of a movement of the second limb part, and collects the physical quantities of the movements of the first and second limb parts, the environment temperature and the strength of the force according to a sampling rate during a period of measuring time. The muscle tone measuring system is also provided.

Compounds of structural formula I are modulators of the androgen receptor (AR) in a tissue selective manner. These compounds are useful in the enhancement of weakened muscle tone and the treatment of conditions caused by androgen deficiency or which can be ameliorated by androgen administration, including osteoporosis, osteopenia, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, periodontal disease, bone fracture, bone damage following bone reconstructive surgery, sarcopenia, frailty, aging skin, male hypogonadism, postmenopausal symptoms in women, atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, aplastic anemia and other hematopoietic disorders, inflammatory arthritis and joint repair, HIV-wasting, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), abdominal adiposity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, cancer cachexia, Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophies, cognitive decline, sexual dysfunction, sleep apnea, depression, premature ovarian failure, and autoimmune disease, alone or in combination with other active agents.

The invention discloses an exoskeleton hand rehabilitation robot based on finger function importance, and relates to the field of medical rehabilitation instruments. A thumb rehabilitation module, a wrist rehabilitation module, a four-finger rehabilitation module, a local vibration stimulation module and a base are included; the wrist rehabilitation module is fixed to the base through bolts; the thumb rehabilitation module is fixed to the wrist rehabilitation module; the four-finger rehabilitation module is fixed to the wrist rehabilitation module; the local vibration stimulation module comprises a palm vibration stimulation module and a wrist vibration stimulation module. According to the exoskeleton hand rehabilitation robot, a local vibration stimulation training theory is introduced, acreative six-rod mechanism is used for performing four-finger flexion and extension motions, four-finger MP and PIP linkage flexion and extension are conformed to finger moving trajectories while thedriving force demand of increasing the muscle tone of paralyzed fingers is ensured, the rehabilitation moment and moving range demands of a wrist joint are ensured, and therefore the fingers and thewrist can perform synergistic motion rehabilitation training.