Quantification Soft Tissue Mobilization Device
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Massage-based therapies like instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization lack consistency and reproducibility due to the subjective application of pressure, making it difficult to replicate, compare, or monitor treatment effects across different therapists or sessions.
Innovation Solution
A handheld quantification soft tissue mobilization device with a pressure applicator and sensor member that measures and transmits force magnitude, angle, duration, and frequency in real-time, allowing for consistent and replicable pressure application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual pressure application is used in IASTM therapy, then the therapy can be applied with simple equipment and ease of operation, but the pressure applied varies between therapists and sessions, reducing consistency and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors that provide real-time feedback on the magnitude, angle, duration, and frequency of force applied during soft tissue mobilization. This feedback mechanism allows therapists to maintain consistent pressure levels across different sessions and patients, directly resolving the reliability issue while preserving the ease of manual operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces subjective manual pressure estimation with objective sensor-based measurement systems. By substituting the mechanical judgment of pressure with electronic sensing and quantification, the system maintains operational simplicity while dramatically improving the consistency and reliability of pressure application.
2Measurement precision
If sensor-based quantification is added to the QSTM device, then measurement precision and reliability of force quantification are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple sensing capabilities (magnitude, angle, duration, frequency) into a single handheld device that performs comprehensive force quantification. This multi-functional approach achieves high measurement precision without proportionally increasing complexity, as the sensors work together within one unified device rather than requiring separate measurement tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The device automatically quantifies and records force parameters without requiring manual calculation or external measurement equipment. The integrated sensors and processing system enable the device to self-monitor and self-report therapy parameters, reducing the need for additional complex external systems while maintaining high measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time quantification and visualization of force parameters applied during soft tissue mobilization, ensuring consistent therapy sessions and facilitating the creation of guidelines for optimal pressure application based on quantified data.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor member configured to determine at least one of a magnitude in three dimensions, an angle in multiple axes, a stroke frequency, and a rate of a force dynamically applied over an area of soft tissue by the pressure applicator
Data Source
AI summary
A manually-operated quantification soft tissue mobilization (QSTM) device includes a pressure applicator and a sensor member. The pressure applicator is configured to enable a user to dynamically apply a stroking mechanical force as the pressure applicator is moved over an area treatment areas of a patient's soft tissue. The sensor member including an accelerometer and a gyrometer is configured to determine various parameters of the dynamically applied stroking mechanical force in three dimensions as the pressure applicator is moved over the treatment areas of the patient's soft tissue. These parameters include a force magnitude in three dimensions, an angle in multiple axes, a stroke position, a stroke frequency, a sensed vibration magnitude at dominant spectral frequencies, and/or a rate of the stroking mechanical force dynamically applied to the soft tissue.