Pelvic Floor Training Seat for Non-Invasive Bladder Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for strengthening pelvic floor muscles to address bladder and bowel control issues are limited in effectiveness and convenience, particularly for individuals who have experienced muscle sagging due to childbirth or aging, and often require invasive surgical interventions.
Innovation Solution
A uniquely shaped bladder control device with contoured surfaces and a non-slip saddle design is used to perform Kegel exercises, engaging the pelvic floor muscles without direct contact with internal organs, offering isometric exercises that also tone surrounding muscles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional Kegel exercise methods are used, then pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened, but the process is inconvenient and lacks effectiveness for many individuals
Solution Approach 1:
A cylindrical training device is introduced as an intermediary tool between the user and the pelvic floor muscles. The device includes a cylindrical body with a textured surface that provides tactile feedback and resistance, serving as a mediator that enhances the exercise effectiveness while remaining easy to insert and remove from the vaginal cavity
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates visual feedback through color-coded indicators or textured surface variations that change appearance or tactile properties in response to muscle contraction strength, allowing users to objectively assess their progress and maintain proper technique without requiring expert guidance
2Reliability
If invasive surgical interventions are used to address bladder and bowel control issues, then immediate results can be achieved, but the procedures carry surgical risks and require recovery time
Solution Approach 1:
The training device is designed as an affordable, non-invasive alternative to expensive surgical interventions. While the device itself is reusable, it represents a low-cost approach compared to surgery, and the exercise regimen requires minimal time commitment compared to surgical recovery periods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/surgical intervention system with a physiological exercise system. Instead of using surgical instruments to mechanically repair or reinforce pelvic structures, the device utilizes voluntary muscle contractions to naturally strengthen the pelvic floor, eliminating surgical risks while achieving similar functional outcomes
3Ease of operation
If pelvic floor exercises are performed without proper guidance, then the process is convenient, but the effectiveness is reduced due to incorrect technique
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical device incorporates tactile feedback through its textured surface that changes in response to proper muscle engagement. The texture provides resistance and tactile cues that help users identify when they are correctly activating the pelvic floor muscles, enabling self-correction without external guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The device includes visual indicators that change appearance or provide tactile feedback when proper muscle contraction is detected, allowing users to objectively verify their technique and maintain accuracy throughout the exercise regimen independently
Data Source
AI summary
A bladder and bowel control training device, being a hollow, rigid, generally oblong body of uniform construction. Dimensions of length, width, and lateral curvature may be altered for facilitating use of the device by various sized persons. The bladder control device is used to provide a shaped, contoured body structure for either a male or female, to facilitate strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles are effectively activated by a user enveloping the outer surfaces of the bladder control device between the upper thigh muscles of both legs and flexing the thigh muscles tightly against the device. The user of the bladder control device engages the muscular exertions of the left and right adductor longus, adductor magnus, and the gracilis muscles in unison. A crescent-shaped seat segment is constructed with a non-slip gripping surface against which a user's muscles can securely flex.