Systems and methods to place one or more leads in tissue to electrically stimulate nerves of passage to treat pain
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method to reduce and/or relieve pain in a targeted painful region comprising:
- activating a peripheral nerve innervating the targeted painful region with an intramuscular lead inserted into muscle tissue near the peripheral nerve and outside of the targeted painful region and evoking a tingling sensation over at least a portion of the targeted painful region without damaging the peripheral nerve.
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Abstract
It has been discovered that pain felt in a given region of the body can be treated, not by motor point stimulation of muscle in the local region where pain is felt, but 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. Spinal nerves such as the intercostal nerves or nerves passing through a nerve plexus, which comprise trunks that divide by divisions and/or cords into branches, comprise “nerves of passage.”
60 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method to reduce and/or relieve pain in a targeted painful region comprising:
activating a peripheral nerve innervating the targeted painful region with an intramuscular lead inserted into muscle tissue near the peripheral nerve and outside of the targeted painful region and evoking a tingling sensation over at least a portion of the targeted painful region without damaging the peripheral nerve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method to alleviate pain comprising:
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identifying a tissue region including skeletal muscle innervated by a peripheral nerve innervating a targeted painful region, placing at least one electrode within the tissue region near the peripheral nerve outside of the painful region, and applying stimulation to the at least one electrode according to predefined therapeutic stimulation parameters to activate the peripheral nerve and provide therapeutic nerve stimulation that evokes a tingling sensation to alleviate pain in the targeted painful region without functional nerve stimulation at a motor point and without damaging the peripheral nerve. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification