Repositionable Raised Member Soft Tissue Manipulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with muscle and nerve pain often rely on costly massage therapy sessions for relief, as unsatisfactory self-massage techniques from untrained partners fail to adequately address pinched nerves, leading to recurring pain and financial burden.
Innovation Solution
A customizable apparatus with a support member and repositionable raised members, featuring engagement elements like detent balls and grooves, allows for targeted soft tissue manipulation, providing adjustable pressure and massaging effects for specific body areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If professional massage therapy is sought for muscle and nerve pain relief, then pain relief effectiveness is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables self-massage by allowing the user to position and manipulate the raised members on the support member to target specific affected areas, eliminating the need for professional massage therapy while providing comparable pain relief functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The support member is divided into multiple discrete raised members that can be independently positioned and manipulated, allowing targeted treatment of specific muscle groups and nerve areas while maintaining overall device functionality
2Ease of operation
If massage is provided by an untrained significant other, then accessibility is improved, but massage quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device serves itself by providing built-in guidance through the structured raised members and support member configuration, eliminating the need for trained massage therapy while ensuring consistent and effective massage quality through the device's inherent design
Solution Approach 2:
Different raised members can be positioned on the support member to provide localized massage characteristics tailored to specific affected areas, allowing the device to adapt to different body regions and pain locations while maintaining professional-quality massage effectiveness
3Reliability
If repeat visits to massage therapist are required for ongoing pain relief, then pain management effectiveness is improved, but financial burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides a one-time purchase solution that eliminates the need for recurring professional massage therapy sessions, allowing users to independently manage their pain relief needs without ongoing financial commitments to massage therapists
Solution Approach 2:
The raised members can be repositioned along the support member to adapt to changing pain locations and muscle groups, allowing the device to provide ongoing effective pain management for different body regions without requiring repeat professional visits
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and system for manipulating soft tissue may include a support member and a raised member. The support member includes a support surface disposed between a first end of the support member and a second end of the support member. The support member is elongated in a lengthwise direction between the first end of the support member and the second end of the support member. The raised member includes an outer surf ace disposed opposite an inner surface. The inner surf ace is supportable by the support surface of the support member. The outer surf ace of the raised member is configured to rotate along at least a portion of a user's body in response to movement of the raised member along the user's body. The raised member is repositionable along the support surf ace of the support member in the lengthwise direction.