Method for inducing electroanesthesia using high frequency, high intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
First Claim
1. A non-invasive method of inducing nerve blocks by using electroanesthesia applied via transcutaneous electrical stimulation, which method comprises affixing a first electrode pair to the skin of a patient to be treated in the vicinity of the nerve to be blocked, which electrode pair is associated with a pulse generator such that stimulation at a desired frequency and intensity may be provided to the patient through said electrode pair, affixing a second electrode pair to the skin of a patient either on the opposite side of the body from the location of the first electrode pair or bilaterally of the spine at about C5, said second electrode pair being larger in size than said first electrode pair and also being associated with the pulse generator, and thereafter carrying out the following steps of:
- (a) providing the patient with a series of intensities at which stimulation may be carried out;
(b) choosing an intensity from said series as high as the patient can reasonably tolerate;
(c) stimulating at a first high frequency in the range of 60,000 Hz to about 25,000 Hz and at said chosen intensity; and
(d) decreasing the stimulation frequency at said chosen intensity to a lower frequency over a time period of at least about 20 minutes by initially lowering the frequency to a level that is still tolerable to the patient and then continuing to gradually decrease the frequency thereafter.
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Abstract
A non-invasive method of treating, controlling or preventing medical, psychiatric or neurological disorders is provided using transcutaneous electrical stimulation. A plurality of stimulation frequency parameters are used ranging from a relatively high frequency, for example about 40,000 Hertz, to a relatively low frequency, for example about 250 Hertz. The entirety of frequency parameters may be administered at each of a plurality of stimulation intensity levels. In particular, stimulating may begin at a first highest frequency parameter and a first lowest intensity parameter with the stimulation frequency parameter incrementally decreasing to the lowest frequency parameter. Then the frequency parameter is returned to the highest frequency parameter, and the intensity parameter increased to a next higher intensity parameter, and again stimulating through the plurality of frequency parameters from the highest frequency to the lowest frequency. The method described herein is useful in treating, controlling and/or preventing various disease states and disorders, and has been found to be particularly effective in administering nerve block electroanesthesia.
16 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A non-invasive method of inducing nerve blocks by using electroanesthesia applied via transcutaneous electrical stimulation, which method comprises
affixing a first electrode pair to the skin of a patient to be treated in the vicinity of the nerve to be blocked, which electrode pair is associated with a pulse generator such that stimulation at a desired frequency and intensity may be provided to the patient through said electrode pair, affixing a second electrode pair to the skin of a patient either on the opposite side of the body from the location of the first electrode pair or bilaterally of the spine at about C5, said second electrode pair being larger in size than said first electrode pair and also being associated with the pulse generator, and thereafter carrying out the following steps of: -
(a) providing the patient with a series of intensities at which stimulation may be carried out;
(b) choosing an intensity from said series as high as the patient can reasonably tolerate;
(c) stimulating at a first high frequency in the range of 60,000 Hz to about 25,000 Hz and at said chosen intensity; and
(d) decreasing the stimulation frequency at said chosen intensity to a lower frequency over a time period of at least about 20 minutes by initially lowering the frequency to a level that is still tolerable to the patient and then continuing to gradually decrease the frequency thereafter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification