Systems and methods to place one or more leads in tissue to electrically stimulate nerves of passage to treat pain
First Claim
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1. A method of reducing a perception of pain, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing or instructing placement of an electrode within tissue a distance spaced from (i) at least one of a Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers and (ii) at least one of Type III and Type IV nerve fibers; and
instructing delivery or delivering electrical stimulation through the electrode to selectively activate at least one of the Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers while minimizing recruitment of activation of the at least one of the Type III and Type IV nerve fibers because the electrode is spaced the distance from the at least one of a Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers and the at least one of Type III and Type IV nerve fibers.
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for applying electrical stimulation to a body by an electrode spaced from a target nerve of passage. It has been discovered that pain felt, or perceived to be felt, in a given region of the body can be treated by stimulating muscle close to a “nerve of passage” in a region that is superior (i.e., cranial or upstream toward the spinal column) to the region where pain is felt, such as in a case of post-amputation residual limb pain, or purportedly felt in the case of post-amputation phantom limb pain.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of reducing a perception of pain, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing or instructing placement of an electrode within tissue a distance spaced from (i) at least one of a Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers and (ii) at least one of Type III and Type IV nerve fibers; and instructing delivery or delivering electrical stimulation through the electrode to selectively activate at least one of the Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers while minimizing recruitment of activation of the at least one of the Type III and Type IV nerve fibers because the electrode is spaced the distance from the at least one of a Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fibers and the at least one of Type III and Type IV nerve fibers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of reducing a perception of pain, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing or instructing placement of an electrode in tissue in electrical proximity to but spaced away from a neural fiber bundle within a body, wherein the neural fiber bundle comprises at least one of a Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fiber and an efferent nerve fiber; and delivering or instructing delivery of electrical stimulation from the electrode to the neural fiber bundle to reduce a perception of pain, wherein the at least one of Type Ia and Ib afferent nerve fiber of the neural fiber bundle are selectively activated while minimizing recruitment of activation of the efferent nerve fiber of the neural fiber bundle because the electrode is in electrical proximity but spaced away from the neural fiber bundle. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of reducing a perception of pain, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing or instructing placement of an electrode at a therapeutically effective distance from a neural fiber bundle within tissue, wherein the neural fiber bundle comprises more than one type of nerve fiber; delivering or instructing delivery of electrical stimulation from the electrode to the neural fiber bundle to reduce a perception of pain by said human, wherein a first of the type of nerve fiber is selectively activated while minimizing recruitment of activation of a second of the type of nerve fiber because the electrode is at the therapeutically effective distance; and evoking or instructing evocation of paresthesia in a region of pain, wherein the region of pain is spaced from the electrode. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification