System and methods for treating or supporting human joints or a portion of the human body

• US 9,072,898 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motive Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cymedica, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Struan, Domenico, Calvin, Gieswein, Edison
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/214,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20140276298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 602/2, 602/16, 602 20- 28, 607/88
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0123 for the knees A61F5/0106 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0125 the device articulating around a single pivot-point
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0452 Specially adapted for transcutaneous muscle stimulation [TMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0484 Garment electrodes worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36031 using physiological parameters for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36034 specified by the stimulation parameters

Abstract

Disclosed is a system including a good comprising a sensor in contact with human tissues of a patient and configured to obtain a power dissipation reading of the human tissues. The good also includes a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon a program for execution by a processor. The system also includes a control unit in communication with the good to form an electrical muscular stimulation (EMS) system that uses feedback in a closed loop manner to self tune electrical properties of the output. The control unit is configured to instruct the sensor to (a) apply a sense pulse to the human tissues, (b) measure power dissipation of the sense pulse, (c) adjust a stimulation pulse based on the measured power dissipation, (d) apply the stimulation pulse to the human tissues based on the power dissipation and based on the program in order to maintain constant power output across each pulse, and (e) repeat steps (a)-(d).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a system for treating a human joint or body part of a patient, the system comprising;

a good comprising;

a sensor in contact with human tissues of a patient to obtain a power dissipation of human tissues, and

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon data for use by a processor; and

a control unit in communication with the good to form an electrical muscular stimulation (EMS) system that uses feedback in a closed loop manner to self tune electrical properties of output, the control unit configured to (a) apply a sense pulse to the human tissues, (b) measure power dissipation of the sense pulse, (c) adjust a stimulation pulse based on the measured power dissipation, (d) apply the stimulation pulse to the human tissues based on the power dissipation in order to maintain constant power output across each pulse, and (e) repeat steps (a)-(d).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the good further comprises providing a good that provides support to the patient, the good selected from a group of goods consisting of a brace, a sleeve, a sling, a garment, a wrap, and a strap.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the control unit further comprises providing a control unit that can apply the pulses onto the human tissues while the patient is moving.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the storage medium further comprises providing a storage medium comprising an identifier identifying what the good is.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data includes a program that is based on the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the storage medium comprises data comprising specific waveform treatment protocols for the good.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the measuring of the power dissipation exceeds a preset boundary, the sensor will not apply the corresponding stimulation pulse.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each sense pulse creates or maintains a conductive channel through the human tissues by exceeding a breakdown voltage of the human tissues.