Electrostimulation system with electromyographic and visual biofeedback

• US 7,221,980 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stimel Limited
• Original Assignee: Stimel Limited
• Inventors: Zuker, Morris, Kotlik, Ben-Zion
• Primary Examiner(s): ALTER, ALYSSA MARGO
• Application Number:
  US10/344,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,107 Days
• Field of Search: 607/48, 607/49, 600/546
• US Class Current: 607/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/395 Details of stimulation, e.g. nerve stimulation to elicit EMG response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance

Abstract

The device of the present invention provided an electrostimulation system with electromyographic and visual biofeed back for sensing electromyographic impulses and facilitating muscular activity. The electrostimulation system comprises stimulator that is adapted to generate an electric impulse and at least one pair of electrodes adapted to transmit the electric impulse or to receive electromyographic impulses. The system further comprises an amplifier electrically communicating with the pair of electrodes, the amplifier is adapted to amplify the received electromyographic impulses and a filtering unit electrically communicating with the amplifier and is adapted to remove artifacts from the received electromyographic impulse. A commutation block is electrically communicating with the pair of electrodes and is adapted to alternately transfer the electromyographic impulses to the amplifier or to transfer the generated electric impulse from the stimulator. A display for displaying the received electromyographic impulses and a predetermined threshold value is also provided as well as a control unit that is adapted to receive the electromyographic impulses from the amplifier and to activate the stimulator in a predetermined manner. The stimulator incorporated in the present invention is triggered to transmit impulses to the rehabilitated muscle when the electromyographic impulse substantially equals or exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. An electrostimulation system with electromyographic and visual biofeedback for sensing electromyographic impulses and facilitating muscular activity, said electrostimulation system comprising:

a stimulator adapted to generate an electric impulse;

at least one pair of electrodes adapted to transmit said electric impulse or to receive electromyographic impulses;

an amplifier electrically communicating with said at least one pair of electrodes, said amplifier adapted to amplify received electromyographic impulses;

a filtering unit electrically communicating with said amplifier, said filtering unit being adapted to remove artifacts from the received electromyographic impulses;

a commutation block electrically communicating with said at least one pair of electrodes, said commutation block being adapted to alternately transfer the received electromyographic impulses to said amplifier or to transfer the generated electric impulse from said stimulator;

a display for displaying said received electromyographic impulses and a predetermined threshold value; and

a control unit adapted to receive the amplified electromyographic impulses from said amplifier and to activate said stimulator in a predetermined manner,

wherein said stimulator is triggered to transmit the electric impulse when the received electromyographic impulses substantially equal or exceed the predetermined threshold value.

2. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a reference electrode is electrically communicating with said amplifier.

3. The electrostimulation system a claimed in claim 1, wherein an integrator is electrically communicating with said filtering unit, said integrator is adapted to smooth and recondition the received electromyographic impulses that is received from said filtering unit so that the received electromyographic impulses may be displayed on said display.

4. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein an additional amplifier is electrically communicating with said integrator and with said display so that the received electromyographic impulse impulses outgoing from said integrator to said display is further amplified.

5. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a trigger setting is provided for manually feeding said predetermined threshold value to said display.

6. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a comparator is electrically communicating with said trigger setting as well as with said amplifier.

7. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said comparator is adapted to change a mode of said commutation block from transferring the received electromyographic impulses to said amplifier to transferring the generated electric impulse from said stimulator when the received electromyographic impulse reaches said predetermined threshold value.

8. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a remote control unit is communicating with said control unit.

9. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display is a linear graphic bar display.

10. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stimulator comprises:

a pulse modulator adapted to construct said electric impulse;

an amplitude modulator adapted to set amplitude of said electric impulse;

a CPU unit electrically communicating with said pulse modulator a control unit electrically communicating with said CPU unit, said control unit adapted to determine parameters of the pulse modulator and the amplitude modulator;

a setting unit adapted to determine a threshold value and a maximum value of said electric impulse;

an output block electrically communicating with said CPU unit, with said pulse modulator and with said setting unit, said output block transfers the electrical impulse to said commutation block and/or to said at least one pair of electrodes.

11. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said stimulator further comprises a display, said display is electrically communicating with said CPU unit.

12. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said setting unit comprises current setting and threshold setting, said current setting is adapted to perform a current adjustment, said threshold setting is adapted to prevent pain during muscular activity by setting a threshold value.

13. The electrostimulation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said setting unit is electrically communicating with a summing amplifier, said summing amplifier amplifies the electrical impulse and transfers it to said output block.

14. A method for stimulating muscles that are in a rehabilitation process of a patient, said method comprising:

providing an electrostimulation system with electromyographic and visual biofeedback that comprises a stimulator adapted to generate an electric impulse;

at least one pair of electrodes adapted to transmit said electric impulse or to receive electromyographic impulses;

an amplifier electrically communicating with said at least one pair of electrodes, said amplifier adapted to amplify said received electromyographic impulses;

a filtering unit electrically communicating with said amplifier, said filtering unit being adapted to remove artifacts from the received electromyographic impulses;

a commutation block electrically communicating with said at least one pair of electrodes, said commutation block being adapted to alternately transfer the received electromyographic impulses to said amplifier or to transfer the generated electric impulse from said stimulator;

a display for displaying said received electromyographic impulses and a predetermined threshold value; and

a control unit adapted to receive the electromyographic impulses from said amplifier and to activate said stimulator in a predetermined manner;

adhering said a least one pair of electrodes to the rehabilitated muscles;

providing a reference electrode;

adhering said reference electrode to the patient in a location relatively remote from the rehabilitated muscles;

connecting said reference electrode to said amplifier; and

transmitting said electric impulse to the muscles through said at least one pair of electrodes.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, the method further comprises receiving electromyographic impulses;

feeding said predetermined threshold value;

comparing said electromyographic impulses to said predetermined threshold value;

transmitting an electric impulse having higher amplitude than the amplitude of the received electromyographic impulse having the highest value to the muscles after said electromyographic impulse exceeds said predetermined threshold value.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprises displaying the transmitted electric impulse on said display and displaying said predetermined threshold value.