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Electrical muscle stimulation

  • US 9,878,152 B2
  • Filed: 10/29/2010
  • Issued: 01/30/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of determining a location for externally stimulating a muscle of a subject, the method comprising:

  • externally positioning a plurality of electrodes in electrical contact with a body tissue that contacts the muscle;

    activating at least one electrode in a first activation search pattern, the first activation search pattern defining a first subset of the plurality of electrodes consisting of at least the one electrode, such that the at least one electrode provides a first electrical muscle stimulation signal to said body tissue, wherein the first electrical muscle stimulation signal is below a muscle stimulation signal intensity implemented when applying muscle stimulation treatment after the first activation search pattern and a second activation search pattern;

    measuring a first response signal resulting from the first activation search pattern by sensing a first property of said muscle, wherein the first property is a measure of activity of said muscle caused by the first electrical muscle stimulation signal resulting from the first activation search pattern;

    activating at least one other electrode in the second activation search pattern, the second activation search pattern defining a second subset of the plurality of electrodes consisting of at least the one other electrode, such that the at least one other electrode provides a second electrical muscle stimulation signal to said body tissue, wherein the second electrical muscle stimulation signal is below the muscle stimulation signal intensity implemented when applying muscle stimulation treatment after the first activation search pattern and the second activation search pattern;

    measuring a second response signal resulting from the second activation search pattern by sensing a second property of said muscle, wherein the second property is a measure of activity of said muscle caused by the second electrical muscle stimulation signal resulting from the second activation search pattern;

    selecting a subset of the plurality of electrodes corresponding to the first or second activation search pattern based on a largest measure of activity of the muscle as determined in the first and second response signals; and

    applying the muscle stimulation signal intensity for treatment according to the selected subset of the plurality of electrodes, wherein the muscle stimulation signal intensity for treatment is a muscle stimulation signal intensity at a magnitude that contracts and relaxes muscle tissue.

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