Systems and methods for the treatment of pain through neural fiber stimulation generating a stochastic response
First Claim
1. A method to reduce a perception of pain comprising:
- electrically stimulating through a coiled lead having an electrode inserted in-vivo at least one target afferent sensory nerve fiber in a random or pseudo-random manner generating a stochastic response of action potentials in the at least one target afferent sensory nerve fiber while avoiding generation of action potentials in small sensory nerve fibers.
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for the treatment of pain through activation of select neural fibers. The neural fibers may comprise one or more afferent neural fibers and/or one or more efferent neural fibers. If afferent fibers are stimulated, alone or in combination with efferent fibers, a therapeutically effective amount of electrical stimulation is applied to activate afferent pathways in a manner approximating natural afferent activity. The afferent fibers may be associated with primary receptors of muscle spindles, golgi tendon organs, secondary receptors of muscle spindles, joint receptors, touch receptors, and other types of mechanoreceptors and/or proprioceptors. If efferent fibers are stimulated, alone or in combination with afferent fibers, a therapeutically effective amount of electrical stimulation is applied to activate intrafusal and/or extrafusal muscle fibers, which results in an indirect activation of afferent fibers associated therewith.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method to reduce a perception of pain comprising:
electrically stimulating through a coiled lead having an electrode inserted in-vivo at least one target afferent sensory nerve fiber in a random or pseudo-random manner generating a stochastic response of action potentials in the at least one target afferent sensory nerve fiber while avoiding generation of action potentials in small sensory nerve fibers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method comprising:
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percutaneously inserting an electrode in-vivo; electrically stimulating through the electrode a large sensory target afferent nerve fiber in a random or pseudo-random manner generating a stochastic response of action potentials in the large sensory target afferent nerve fiber while avoiding generation of action potentials in non-target small sensory nerve fibers reducing a perception of pain. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system to reduce a perception of pain comprising:
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an electrode percutaneously inserted in-vivo; an electrical pulse generator applying electrical stimulation to at least a portion of a nervous system through the electrode in a random or pseudo-random manner generating a stochastic response of an action potential in at least one target afferent sensory nerve fiber while avoiding action potentials in non-target small sensory afferent nerve fibers causing a reduction of perception of pain. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification