SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PAIN THROUGH NEURAL FIBER STIMULATION

• US 20120310301A1
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPR Therapeutics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SPR Therapeutics, LLC (SPR Therapeutics, Inc.)
• Inventors: BENNETT, MARIA E., BOGGS, JOSEPH W. II, GRILL, WARREN M., CHAE, JOHN
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36057 adapted for stimulating afferent nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain

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.

Claims

1. A method comprising the step of:

stimulating afferent nerve fibers in a predetermined manner to generate an action potential in the nerve fibers in an animal to reduce a perception of pain by the animal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the animal is a human.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the stimulating step comprises electrically stimulating the afferent nerve fibers.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the afferent nerve fibers are located outside a neural receptor and outside a central nervous system of the human.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the afferent nerve fibers are located between a neural receptor and the central nervous system of the human.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers innervate neural receptors.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the neural receptors are proprioceptors.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers are in neural communication with neural receptors and are stimulated at a location that is between the neural receptors and a central nervous system of the animal.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the neural receptors are proprioceptors.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers comprise Aα

axons.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the Aα

axons are type Ia axons.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the Aα

axons are type Ib axons.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers comprise Aβ

axons.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers comprise Aδ

axons.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the afferent nerve fibers comprise C axons.

16. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of activating efferent nerve fibers.

17. A method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

stimulating efferent nerve fibers to cause a contraction of a muscle to cause a series of responsive action potentials to be generated by the afferent nerve fibers; and

sensing the series of responsive action potentials;

wherein the predetermined manner of stimulation of the afferent nerve fibers is derived at least partially by approximating a characteristic of the responsive action potentials.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the characteristic of the responsive action potentials is selected from the group consisting of:

an average frequency of two or more of the responsive action potentials, an instantaneous frequency of two of the responsive action potentials, and a pattern of two or more of the responsive action potentials.

19. A method of reducing a perception of pain by an animal of a hypersensitized portion of the animal nervous system, the method comprising the steps of:

applying electrical stimulation to at least a portion of the nervous system to cause a reduction of perception of pain by the animal, the portion comprising afferent nerve fibers.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the applying step is performed for a predetermined treatment time, and further wherein the reduction of perception of pain occurs at least partially during the treatment time and at least a portion of the reduction of perception of pain is maintained after the end of the predetermined treatment time.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the animal is a human and the afferent nerve fibers are located neurologically between and outside a neural receptor and a central nervous system of the human.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the applying step is performed for a predetermined treatment time, and further wherein the reduction of perception of pain occurs at least partially during the treatment time and at least a portion of the reduction of perception of pain is maintained after the end of the predetermined treatment time.