EMG Diagnostic System and Method

• US 20070167859A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vdi Acquisition Corp.
• Original Assignee: Vdi Acquisition Corp.
• Inventors: Finneran, Mark, Biro, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/546
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0044 Spinal cord
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/313 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4514 Cartilage

Abstract

A system for detecting and analyzing electrical activity in the anatomy of an organism underlying an electromyographic (EMG) sensor device provides signals corresponding to electrical activity adjacent each electrode of sensor device. A method using the system may comprise determining EMG data for a patient responsive to EMG signals detected from a detection area on a back of the patient using the EMG sensor device. The method may further include determining whether the determined EMG data for the patient corresponds to predetermined EMG data associated with at least one of a facet condition, a disc condition, and a muscle condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) determining electromyographic (EMG) data for a patient responsive to EMG signals detected from a detection area on a back of the patient using an EMG sensor device;

b) determining whether the EMG data for the patient determined in (a) corresponds to predetermined EMG data associated with at least one of a facet condition and a disc condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein (b) includes comparing the EMG data for the patient to the predetermined EMG data, wherein the predetermined EMG data includes data which is usable to determine whether EMG data is indicative of a facet condition, the disc condition, and a muscle condition.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein (b) includes determining responsive to comparing the EMG data for the patient to the predetermined EMG data, whether the patient is associated with one of the facet condition, the disc condition, and the muscle condition.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (a) and (b) are carried through operation of at least one processor, further comprising:

c) through operation of the at least one processor, outputting through at least one display device in operative connection with the at least one processor, indicia indicative of whether the patient is associated with one of the facet condition, the disc condition, and the muscle condition.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes determining the relative position of at least one grouping of portions in the detection area corresponding to a higher level of muscle contraction relative adjacent portions in the detection area.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein prior to (b) further comprising:

(c) through operation of the at least one processor, displaying through a display device in operative connection with the processor, at least one image representative of the detection area, wherein the at least one image shows the relative position of the at least one grouping in the detection area corresponding to the relatively higher level of muscle contraction.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

adjusting the image displayed in (c) to enable the relative position of the at least one grouping to be more visually distinguishable in the image from the adjacent portions.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes determining the relative positions of at least two to three spaced apart groupings of portions in the detection area corresponding to relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative further portions in the detection area between the two to three groupings;

wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with a disc condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient determined in (a).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes determining the relative positions of three spaced apart groupings of portions in the detection area corresponding to relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative further portions in the detection area between the three spaced apart groupings, wherein two of the three determined groupings are generally horizontally aligned and are respectively located on opposed sides of the spine of the patient, wherein a third one of the three determined groupings traverses a vertebral column of the patient and is located vertically lower than the at the two horizontally aligned groupings;

wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with a disc condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient determined in (a).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes determining the presence of only a single grouping of portions in the detection indicative of relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative remaining portions in the detection area, wherein the single grouping traverses the vertebral column of the patient, wherein a center of the single grouping is spaced laterally from a longitudinal axis of the vertebral column of the patient;

wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with a facet condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient determined in (a).

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes:

determining data representative of at least one maximum RMS voltage associated with the EMG signals;

determining whether the data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage is above, below, or within at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in (a) the at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages is selected responsive to at least one of percent ideal body weight and gender of the patient from a plurality of ranges of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages corresponding respectively to data representative of at least one of different genders and different ranges of percent ideal body weight.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with the facet condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient responsive to a determination in (a) that the data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage is below the at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with at least one of the disk condition or a muscle condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient responsive to a determination in (a) that the data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage is above the at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

c) prior to (a) detecting EMG signals from the patient when the patient is in at least three different positions.

wherein determining EMG data in (a) includes;

determining data representative of maximum RMS voltage associated with the EMG signals for each of the at least three different positions;

determining a sequence for the at least three different positions, which sequence corresponds to a sequence of the respective maximum RMS voltages determined for the at least three positions ordered by magnitude.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein (c) includes detecting EMG signals while the patient is standing:

in a first position with the back of the patient in a generally vertical orientation;

in a second position with the back of the patient bent forward with respect to the generally vertical orientation; and

in a third position with the arms of the patient held out in from of the patient while holding weights, wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with the disc condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient responsive to a determination in (a) that the sequence for the at least three different positions corresponding to lowest to highest maximum RMS voltage for the respective positions corresponds to an order of;

the first position, the third position, and the second position.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein (c) includes detecting EMG signals while the patient is standing:

in a first position with the back of the patient in a generally vertical orientation;

in a second position with the back of the patient bent forward with respect to the generally vertical orientation; and

in a third position with the arms of the patient held out in from of the patient while holding weights, wherein (b) includes determining that the predetermined EMG data associated with at least one of the facet condition or a muscle condition corresponds to the EGM data for the patient responsive to a determination in (a) that the sequence for the at least three different positions corresponding to lowest to highest maximum RMS voltage for the respective positions corresponds to an order of;

the first position, the second position, and the third position.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (a) the sensor device comprises a flexible electrode array comprised of a plurality of electrodes.

19. A method comprising:

a) detecting electromyographic (EMG) signals from a detection area on a back of a patient using an EMG sensor device;

b) determining through operation of at least one processor, EMG data for the patient responsive to the EMG signals detected in (a);

c) comparing the EMG data for the patient to predetermined EMG data, wherein the predetermined EMG data correlates a plurality of back conditions to respective sets of features of EMG data, wherein the back conditions correlated in the predetermined EMG data include at least one of a facet condition and a disc condition;

d) determining whether the EMG data for the patient is indicative of at least one of the facet condition and the disc condition responsive to (c).

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is in operative communication with at least one data store, wherein the at least one data store includes the predetermined EMG data stored therein, wherein the back conditions correlated in the predetermined EMG data include a facet condition, a disc condition, and a muscle condition;

wherein (a) includes detecting the EMG signals from the patient when the patient is in at least three different positions including at least one of;

in a first position with the back of the patient in a generally vertical orientation;

in a second position with the back of the patient bent forward with respect to the generally vertical orientation; and

in a third position with the arms of the patient held out in from of the patient while holding weights;

wherein (c) is carried out through operation of the at least one processor,

wherein (b) includes at least one of;

i) determining the relative positions of at least one grouping of portions in the detection area corresponding to relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative further portions in the detection area adjacent the at least one grouping;

ii) determining data representative of at least one maximum RMS voltage associated with the EMG signals and determining whether the data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage is above, below, or within at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages stored in the at least one data store;

iii) determining data representative of maximum RMS voltage associated with the EMG signals for each of the at least three different positions, determining a sequence for the at least three different positions, which sequence corresponds to a sequence of the respective maximum RMS voltages determined for the at least three positions ordered by magnitude;

wherein in (c) the predetermined EMG data stored in the at least one data store includes at least one of;

data which associates the facet condition with features of EMG data representative of the presence of only a single grouping of portions in the detection indicative of relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative remaining portions in the detection area, wherein the single grouping traverses the vertebral column of the patient, wherein a center of the single grouping is spaced laterally from a longitudinal axis of the vertebral column of the patient;

data which associates the disc condition with features of EMG data representative of the relative positions of at least two to three spaced apart groupings of portions in the detection area corresponding to relatively higher levels of muscle contraction relative further portions in the detection area between the two to three groupings;

data which associates the facet condition with features of EMG data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage being below the at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages;

data which associates at least one of the disk condition or a muscle condition with features of EMG data representative of the at least one maximum RMS voltage being above the at least one range of predetermined normal maximum RMS voltages;

data which associates at least one of the facet condition and the muscle condition with features of EMG data representative of the sequence for the at least three different positions corresponding to lowest to highest maximum RMS voltage for the respective positions corresponding to an order of;

the first position, the second position, and the third position;

data which associates the disc condition with features of EMG data representative of the sequence for the at least three different positions corresponding to lowest to highest maximum RMS voltage for the respective positions corresponding to an order of;

the first position, the third position, and the second position;

further comprising;

e) outputting through at least one display device in operative connection with the at least one processor, indicia indicative of the determination in (d).