Neuromuscular stimulation

• US 9,238,137 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Einav, Omer, Korenman, Ernesto
• Primary Examiner(s): Koharski, Christopher D
• Assistant Examiner(s): OROPEZA, FRANCES P
• Application Number:
  US10/597,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,001 Days
• Field of Search: 607/2, 607/48, 607/115
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Apparatus for rehabilitating a patient who has a paretic body part, the apparatus comprising: a) at least one electromyograph (EMG) sensor adapted to being applied to a voluntary muscle of a healthy body part of the same type as the paretic body part, which at least one sensor produces at least one EMG signal; b) a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device adapted for stimulating at least one voluntary muscle of the paretic body part; and c) a controller which controls the NMES device, making the amplitude of stimulation of the paretic body part at least partly dependent on the EMG signal from the healthy body part.

Claims

1. Apparatus for rehabilitating a patient who has a paretic body part, the apparatus comprising:

a) at least one electromyography (EMG) sensor adapted to be applied to a voluntary muscle of a healthy body part of the same type as the paretic body part, wherein at least one sensor produces at least one EMG signal;

b) a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device adapted for stimulating at least one voluntary muscle of the paretic body part; and

,

c) a controller which controls the NMES device, the controller being configured to

(i) store a desired motion of the paretic body part,

(ii) store NMES amplitude insufficient to cause the desired motion,

(iii) determine an amplitude of stimulation of the paretic body part at least partly based on the EMG signal from the healthy body part and the stored desired motion of the paretic body part such that the NMES stimulation is not sufficient, on its own, to move the paretic body part in the desired motion, and,

(iv) apply stimulation to the paretic body part using the NMES device while detecting at least one EMG signal from the healthy body part.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one muscle of the healthy body part corresponds to the at least one muscle of the paretic body part.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to process the at least one EMG signal and determine at least one property of the NMES signal.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured so that the NMES device stimulates the paretic body part to make a movement corresponding to a movement in a pattern of movement made by the healthy body part when the EMG signals are sensed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured so that the amplitude of stimulation of at least one of the at least one muscle of the paretic body part increases when the EMG signal from the corresponding muscle of the healthy body part increases at a corresponding time interval in the pattern of movement of the healthy body part.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the at least one muscle of the paretic body part comprises an antagonistic pair of muscles, and the controller is configured so that the amplitude of stimulation of one muscle of the antagonistic pair of muscles decreases when the EMG signal from the muscle in the healthy body part corresponding to the other muscle of the antagonistic pair of muscles increases at a corresponding time interval in the pattern of movement of the healthy body part.

7. Apparatus according claim 1, wherein one or both of the controller and the NMES device are configured to store a stimulation amplitude that is not high enough to cause the stimulated muscle to contract in the absence of nerve impulses from the patient'"'"'s brain, but is high enough to cause the muscle to contract in the presence of nerve impulses from the patient'"'"'s brain, for at least some patients who cannot move the body part by themselves.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one EMG sensor comprises a plurality of EMG sensors, each EMG sensor adapted to be applied to a different muscle or muscle part of the healthy body part.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each EMG sensor produces a separate EMG signal.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the NMES device is adapted to independently stimulate a plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the paretic body part.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the paretic body part correspond to the muscles or muscle parts of the healthy body part to which the plurality of EMG sensors are adapted to be applied.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured so that amplitude of NMES stimulation of the plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the paretic body part is at least partly dependent on the EMG signals from the plurality of EMG sensors.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller is configured so that the amplitude of NMES stimulation of each of the plurality of muscles or muscle parts depends at least partly on the EMG signal from the corresponding muscle or muscle part.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paretic body part is a body part that comes in pairs.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the paretic body part is an arm.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the paretic body part is a leg.

17. Apparatus according to any of claims 14-16, wherein the healthy body part belongs to the patient.

18. Apparatus according to any of claims 14-16, wherein the healthy body part belongs to a different person.

19. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller makes the stimulation amplitude at least partly dependent on a processed form of the EMG signal.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processed form of the EMG signal is stretched out in time from the EMG signal.

21. Apparatus according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the processed form of the EMG signal corresponds to an EMG signal that would be produced by a movement of the healthy body part that is a mirror image of a movement that the healthy part was undergoing when the EMG signal was generated.

22. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processed form of the EMG signal is time delayed from the EMG signal.

23. Apparatus according to claim 1, also including a first position sensing device which monitors a position of the healthy body part.

24. Apparatus according to claim 1, also including a second position sensing device which monitors a position of the paretic body part.

31. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paretic body part is an arm.

25. A method of rehabilitating a patient who has a paretic body part, the method comprising:

a) having the patient or another person move in a movement pattern a healthy body part that is of the same type as the paretic body part;

b) detecting electromyography (EMG) signals from the healthy body part while it is being moved;

c) processing the EMG signals to determine at least one property of a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) signal;

d) applying the NMES signal to the paretic body part, responsive to the processing; and

e) moving the paretic body part partially by the NEMS stimulation.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the NMES signal is applied at a timing in the movement pattern according to the EMG signals.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein the NMES signal is applied at an amplitude according to the EMG signals.

28. A method according to claim 25, also including having the patient attempt to move the paretic body part, while the NMES signal is applied, in the same movement pattern that the healthy body part is moved in while the EMG signals are detected.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein detecting the EMG signals comprises detecting the EMG signals from a plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the healthy body part, and applying NMES comprises applying NMES to a plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the paretic body part corresponding to the plurality of muscles or muscle parts of the healthy body part.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the amplitude of NMES applied to each muscle or muscle part of the paretic body part during a time interval in a pattern of attempted movement of the paretic body part depends at least partly on the EMG signal detected from the corresponding muscle or muscle part of the healthy body, during a corresponding time interval in the movement pattern of the healthy body part.

32. A method according to claim 25, wherein the paretic body part is an arm.