247 results about "Functional electrical stimulation" patented technology

Described are implantable devices and methods for treating various disorders of the pelvic floor by means of electrical stimulation of the pudendal or other nerves, and optional means for delivering drugs in association therewith. A method of precisely positioning and implanting a medical electrical lead so as to provide optimal stimulation of the pudendal nerve or a portion thereof is also described. Placement of a stimulation lead next to or on the pudendal nerve may be performed using conventional prior art techniques through gross anatomical positioning, but usually does not result in truly optimal lead placement. One method of the present invention utilizes neurophysiological monitoring to assess the evoked responses of the pudendal nerve, and thereby provide a method for determining the optimal stimulation site. Additionally, one or more electrical stimulation signals are applied, and optionally one or more drugs are infused, injected or otherwise administered, to appropriate portions of a patient's pelvic floor and pudendal nerve or portions thereof in an amount and manner effective to treat a number of disorders, including, but not limited to, urinary and / or fecal voiding dysfunctions such as constipation, incontinence disorders such as urge frequency and urinary retention disorders, sexual dysfunctions such as orgasmic and erectile dysfunction, pelvic pain, prostatitis, prostatalgia and prostatodynia.

An exercising system and method for the treatment and rehabilitation of the paralyzed muscles of the legs. Stimulators and sensors are implanted in several of the main muscle groups of the legs. A computerized controller uses wireless signals for communications with the implanted stimulators and sensors. The person receiving the treatment sits on an exercise machine such as a stationery bicycle, a leg press, a rowing machine or other leg exercising machine. The controller determines the position of the legs and transmits a series of commands to the stimulators to provide functional electrical stimulation (FES) to the muscles of the legs, which move the legs in a cyclical or reciprocating manner, such as that needed to pedal a bicycle. Using data provided by the implanted sensors, the controller is able to adjust the stimulation commands sent to the muscles of the legs to control the amount of force exerted by the foot, to limit user fatigue and to keep the foot in a neutral position on the pedal or footrest. Users of the system who are partially paralyzed in the legs can receive an implanted EMG sensor and the controller can synchronize the stimulation of their paralyzed leg muscles with the user's own voluntary activation of their leg muscles.

A functional electrical stimulation (FES) orthosis for FES to a limb segment, including: (a) a semi-rigid, self-retaining C-shaped frame, the frame configured to substantially envelop the limb segment, the frame including a first flexible and elongated circumferentially retaining element and at least a first and a second opposing flexible and elongated circumferentially retaining elements disposed on the circumferentially opposite side of the frame, the first retaining element and the first opposing retaining element forming a pair of opposing retaining elements, and (b) a surface electrical stimulation electrode for contacting at least one stimulation point on a surface of the limb segment, associated with, and supported by, the frame, the surface electrode for electrically associating, via the frame, with a neuroprosthetic stimulator unit, so as to provide FES, wherein the opposing retaining elements are configured to be radially spring-loaded towards a center of the frame, such that in donning the orthosis around the limb segment, the limb segment applies a counter-pressure from within the frame, against the opposing retaining elements, such that the orthosis is firmly and fixedly self-retained in a pre-determined position on the surface.

A functional electrical stimulation (FES) orthosis for FES to a limb segment, including: (a) a semi-rigid, self-retaining C-shaped frame, the frame configured to substantially envelop the limb segment, the frame including a first flexible and elongated circumferentially retaining element and at least a first and a second opposing flexible and elongated circumferentially retaining elements disposed on the circumferentially opposite side of the frame, the first retaining element and the first opposing retaining element forming a pair of opposing retaining elements, and (b) a surface electrical stimulation electrode for contacting at least one stimulation point on a surface of the limb segment, associated with, and supported by, the frame, the surface electrode for electrically associating, via the frame, with a neuroprosthetic stimulator unit, so as to provide FES, wherein the opposing retaining elements are configured to be radially spring-loaded towards a center of the frame, such that in donning the orthosis around the limb segment, the limb segment applies a counter-pressure from within the frame, against the opposing retaining elements, such that the orthosis is firmly and fixedly self-retained in a pre-determined position on the surface.

A surface neuroprosthetic device for functional electrical stimulation (FES) having a locating system for locating the device on to a limb segment of a user, and a method therefor, the device including: (a) an at least semi-rigid exoskeleton shell for encompassing at least a portion of the limb segment; (b) at least one electrical stimulation electrode operatively connected with the shell, for making electrical contact with a surface of the limb segment, so as to effect FES of at least one muscle of the limb segment; and (c) a locator, operatively connected with the shell, for determining a positioning of the shell relative to the limb segment, such that the electrode is positioned near an activating point, the locator including: (i) means for determining rotational positioning of the exoskeleton shell on the limb segment, and (ii) means for determining longitudinal positioning of the exoskeleton shell on the limb segment.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for transcutaneously treating tissue located beneath a skin surface with electromagnetic energy delivered from a treatment electrode. A portion of the treatment electrode is contacted with the skin surface. While maintaining the contact between the portion of the treatment electrode and the skin surface, the electromagnetic energy is delivered from the treatment electrode in a plurality of power pulses through the skin surface to the tissue over a treatment time with a time gap between each consecutive pair of the pulses to lower a level of pain perceived by a patient.

A gait modulation system including: (a) a sensor device including a sensor adapted for associating with at least one lower limb of the patient, the sensor for transducing at least one parameter related to a gait of the patient, so as to obtain gait data related to the gait, and (b) a muscle stimulator including: (i) an electrical stimulation circuit, the circuit adapted to supply an electrical stimulation output to an electrode array for performing functional electrical stimulation of at least one muscle of the lower limb, and (ii) a microprocessor, operatively connected to the at least one sensor, the microprocessor adapted for: receiving a stream of gait information based on the gait data; processing the gait information, and controlling the stimulation output based on the processing of the gait information, and wherein the microprocessor is further adapted to identify a failure in the stream of gait information, and to consequently control the electrical stimulation circuit to deliver a fail-safe stimulation output over a portion of a duration of the failure.

An electrical stimulation device for a body part of a person comprises an orthosis with sensor and electrodes and a controller. The controller receives a sensor signal, compares the sensor signal to a threshold value and generates an electrical output from the electrodes if the sensor signal exceeds the threshold value. The controller comprises a calibration module for determining an initial resting position of the body part.

The present invention is concerned with functional electrical stimulation (FES) of paraplegics having spinal cord injuries (SCI), especially for the purpose of walking, where stimulation is applied to motor neurons below the level of the SCI. Specifically, the invention is concerned with FES in closed-loop where closed loop operation is provided by wireless feedback by EMG signals recorded via noninvasive surface EMG electrodes. No wire connections are required between the EMG electrodes and a signal processor (SP) for providing the feedback signal to the SP. Also, no wire feedback is required to send timing information from the stimulation signal generator to blocking circuits, in cases where such circuits are required to protect the wireless transmitters of the feedback information from being damaged by the stimulation pulses. Wireless operation is facilitated by miniature chips (receivers and transmitters), such as used in the Bluetooth technology. Hence, the paraplegic users are not burdened with any wires that are otherwise needed for closed-loop operation and with the need to connect them between the patient's back, legs, and a pocket-borne control box. Furthermore, closed loop operation frees the patients from the need to manually adjust stimulation levels with progression of muscle fatigue.The present invention allows the achieving closed-loop FES without requiring the sharing the same electrode for both stimulation and EMG recording and which requires complex control and non-standard electrodes. The avoidance of electrode-sharing further allows using regular and widely available stimulation electrodes and regular surface EMG electrodes, such as described in Graupe and Kohn: “Functional Electrical Stimulation for Ambulation by Paraplegics”, 1994.In certain realizations of the present invention, the blocking circuit discussed above requires no input from the stimulus signal generator, while such inputs are essential in any electrode-sharing design since pulse level is highest at the stimulation site. Hence, also no wireless receiver is required next to the EMG electrodes and no wireless transmitter is required next to the stimulus signal generator.In certain other realizations, blocking circuits are not required at all.

A system and apparatus for enabling independent, highly reliable and accurate self-application of an anti-tremor means by a disabled patient, without requirement for application fixtures, wherein anti-tremor means comprises a single unit, self adhesive stimulation and recording electrode with an integrated supply of energy and a control unit, further comprising an alignment, and application means for applying said anti-tremor means configured to enable independently self application by a severely handicapped patient, wherein system and method for tremor reduction is by means of closed-loop functional electrical stimulation, including a sensor for sensing muscle movements, and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) apparatus for providing FES to a muscle, the FES apparatus being in communication with the sensor via a band pass filter for filtering around a tremor frequency to ignore slow movements and high frequency noise.