GB2262039A

GB2262039A - Therapeutic apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2262039A
Application number: GB9213794A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Laigui Jin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-06-29
Filing date: 1992-06-29
Publication date: 1993-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-29
Also published as: CN1018716B; CN1059666A; GB2262039B; GB9213794D0

Abstract

A therapeutic apparatus for applying intermediate frequency (I F) pulsed currents to the body has at least 5 groups of electrodes (7), in which at least one pair of electrodes are of different size. A microprocessor (2) with a keyboard (1) controls the voltage, frequency and waveform of pulses from an I F generator (3) which are sent through an amplifier (4), an isolating output transformer (5), and a collection of lines (6) to the electrode groups (7). The output level may also be adjusted by a controller (8) connected to an I R transmitter (9) and receiver (10). <IMAGE>

Description

An intermediate frequency pulse integral therapeutic apparatus BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a physical therapeutic apparatus, and more particularly to a physical therapeutic apparatus using an intermediate frequency pulse current.

In existing intermediate frequency ( IF) pulse therapeutic apparatus, a basic IF pulse signal is generated by an IF signal generator together with a keyboard, and the IF pulse signal is applied via a signal distribute unit to a power amplifier wherein it is amplified, the amplified IF current is finally directed to human body via electrodes. Since there is only one pair to four pairs of separate output electrodes which could not operate simultaneously so that they could not make an integral treatment for a patient but local treatment for the patient or alternatively applying interferent therapy for human body during a treatment.Furthermore, the existing apparatus generally utilizes a potentiometer to control an output voltage, it will result in an electric shock to the patient because of an abrupt change of the output voltage caused by a bad contact of the potentiometer. Again, the patient can not operate the apparatus himself and is in a passive position of treatment so that the patient can not obtain the optimum therapy of dose; since there is no line collector means, the operation environment is not quite in order and collect line by manual will be a burden on an operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide an integral therapeutic apparatus for output synchronously over multielectrodes to treat integrally a patient.

An IF pulse integral therapeutic apparatus according to the invention comprises a microprocessor with a keyboard, which controls N group( N > 4)of IF pulse system. The pulse system comprises an IF pulse generator generating an IF pulse which is amplified by an amplifier and then output to a pair of electrodes with plate through an isolated output transformer. In the N group of the pulse system, there is at lease one pair of electrodes having different size of the plate. The microprocessor can control the N group of the pulse system operating synchronously and adjust the voltage, frequency and waveform of an output of each group of the pulse system respectively.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figure 1 is a flow chart showing the operating process used in one embodiment of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a high accurate numeric control polentiometor used in one embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An IF integral pulse therapeutic apparatus according to the invention comprises a microprocessor with a keyboard and a display system and N group (N > 4) of IF pulse system controled by the microprocessor. The IF pulse system consists of an IF pulse generator generating an IF pulse signal which is amplified by an amplifier and output through an output transformer, the IF current is then directed to human body via a pair of electrodes with plates. The microprocessor controls the N group of the IF pulse system operating synchronously and controls the frequency, voltage and waveform of an output current of each IF pulse system, respectively. There is at least one group of electrodes in the N group of electrodes having different size of the plate.

A preprograming control program is stored in the microprocessor for controlling the N group of the IF pulse system operating synchronously, controlling the frequency, voltage and waveform of an output current of the N group of the IF pulse system, and also controlling separately the frequency, voltage and waveform of an output of each IF signal system. The control program used in the microprocessor is a general and simple program. When the IF generator receives an instruction from the microprocessor, it generates a desired IF pulse signal, and it' s waveform can be a constant amplitude wave or various modulated wave, such as a square wave and the like. The IF generator used may be a comon IF generator, preferably a numeric control IF generator.The IF pulse signal generated by the IF generator is amplified by the amplifier and then output at the electrode via an output transformer. The amplifying factor of the amplifier is controlled by the microprocessor. The amplifier is preferably a numeric control amplifier and the output transformer preferably an isolated output transformer. It is prefered that the electrodes adjacent to each other output a current of same frequency and waveform but having phase difference. When the current input into a human body, the person may feel a waving flow inside his body.

The present therapeutic apparatus is different from the conventional electrotherapeutic apparatus, and it has the following features: The present therapeutic apparatus uses a perfect integral treatment scheme. The conventional therapy means that it treats a disease by way of adjust the functions of the five internal orgens and the six hollow organs using acupuncture points from the channels and collaterals. The inventor of present invention, during long term clinical research, thinks that: treating a disease should pay attention to both adjusting the functions of the five internal organs and the six hollow organs and treating the focus portion of a patient. The method of combination of integral therapy and local therapy and combinated therapy of traditional Chinese and Western medicine is the preferable integral therapy method.

The therapy used in the therapeutic apparatus of the present invention is a method of simultaneously treating a patient by using multielectrode groups. The conventional physical therapy is frequently limited to a local treatment for a single disease. The simultaneous therapy of multielectrode groups not only carries forward the method of local treatment of traditional physical therapy, but also uses the therapy of the channels and collaterals of traditional Chinese medicine. In clinic, it can be used both to treat locally a patient with a single disease, such as tenosynovitis, external humeral epicondylitis, osteoarthritis, scapulohumeral periarthritis, ect. and to treat integrally a patient with complicated symptoms.For example, the simultaneous therapy of multielectrode groups is used for a central type of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc accompanied with a neuralgia of the two legs so that the therapy of the focus portions and the therapy of the acupuncture points from channels can be done at the same time and curative effect increases remarkably. One more example, the simultaneous therapy of multielectrode groups is also used to treat a patient suffered from multiple diseases, for instance, a patient suffers from not only a cervical spondylosis but also a lumber vertebrae, bipatella osteoarthritis and a calcaneal spur.The reason of using simultaneous therapy of multielectrode groups is because of that the multiple electrodes applying to different portions of human bady, generate a uniform frequency with regularity, which makes a patient feel comfortable and one' s mide can be able to concentrate on during the therapy and has a good curative effect.

The therapeutic apparatus of the invention can use the electrode plates having different size according to different tisue and constitution and different focus portion of body during the therapy. Because the current densities on the eoectrode plates are different for different size of electrode plate though the current level is the same. The Current density on a small plate is higher than that on a large one, and the high current density will result in stronger stimulation. It has been found from a great number of clinical observation: sensitivities to the current stimutation for every portion of human body are different and the sensitivity to current stimulation for focus portion of human body is also different from that for the normal portion. When the therapeutic apparatus is in use, the electrodes are used in pairs. If the same size of the plates are used, then a dose is strong for one portion of body but is weak for the other portion so that the dose could not be enhanced. The feeling could be substantially the same for the two portions by selecting different size of the plates. Thus, the dose can be increased and the effect can be deeper in the portion so that the curative effect increases. Therefore, it is important for treating a disease to select the size of the electrode plate.

According to the present invention, there is at least one group of electrode plates in the N group of the IF pulse system in which each plate having a different size. Preferably, the plates in all group of electrodes are different in size. According to the theory of physical therapy in prior art, the therapeutic effect will be the best only if every pair of electrode plates has same size. It has been found from long term practice of the inventor that when a pair of electrode plates are different in size from each other, a current density on one electrode plate is different from that on the other one, and the therapeutic effect is much better than that using traditional therapeutic method with the electrodes having same size of plate. The size of the plate according to the invention is in the range of 14 cm2 to 140 cm2, preferably 15 cm2 to 60 cm2.

The frequency used in the therapeutic apparatus can be adjusted within a certain range at the patient' s desire. The range of IF frequency used in the therapeutic apparatus is 1 to 7 KHz, and the low frequency in range of 0. 2 to 200Hz. In clinic, the optimum frequency is selected according to the type of illness and patient' s condition to obtain the best clinical effect.

Another remarkable feature of the therapeutic apparatus of the invention is that it uses microcomputer technique and is made by new technology. It has not only worked out 2744 therapeutic schemes but also the effective methods and experiences of the therapy in clinic are input into the therapeutic apparatus, thus, a display can display clearly a set of therapeutic scheme for a therapy ( displays in form of text and image), including the human body constitution portions or a map of the acupuncture points, name of the portions or the acupuncture points to be treated, the model of an electrode plate to be - used for every therapeutic portion or acupuncture point, and a recipe for the disease treated, etc.

The therapeutic apparatus according to the invention controls every group of the IF pulse system to output synchronously from every group of the electrode plates so that the interference to patient' s body caused by an unsimultaneous output from every separate electrode in prior art is avoided, and because a pulse current is simultaneously applied into various portion of human body via multiple pairs (more than 4 pairs) of electrodes for integrat therapy, the effect is significantly better than that for local therapy.It has been proved in practice that by using the method of integral therapy according to the invention to treat a disease having a complicated state of an illness and being immedicable for a long time, for example, a prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc accompanied with a sciatica of one leg ( or two legs ), a 85 So cure rate and a 96 % improvement are obtained, and a 60 %remarkably improvement for ankylosing spondylitis is achieved.

The IF pulse integral therapeutic apparatus according to the invention further comprises a level controller. It controls respectively the voltage, waveform and the like of an output current by controlling the amplifier. The level controller controls an output voltage by a numeric control potential circuit which avoides the problem of contact wearing so that the electric shock caused by a jitter and/or an abruption of an output voltage is eliminated once and for all. The controller can be operated both by a direct mode and a remote control mode. For instance, the controllor is remotely operated by using an infrared remote control transmitter through a processing of an infrared receiver. The remote controller is used so that a patient oneself may adjust the level and intensity of an output of each group according to oneself feeling, therefor, the therapeutic effect increases greatly.

The therapeutic apparatus according to the invention is provided with a line collector for collecting the output lines of every group. The line collector is equiped with an automatic line collecting means in which the output lines of every group is withdrawn only by push a line collecting switch. When the output lines of every group are to be used, they are pull out from the line collector.

EMBODIMENT As shown in figure 1, a microprocessor( 2) with a keyboard( 1) sends an instruction to a numeric control IF generator( 3) to generate an IF pulse signal, the signal is amplified by a numeric control amplifier (4) which utilizes a TOA 2030A integrate circuit of power amplify as a main circuit, and then the amplified IF current is output from the electrodes( 7) through an isolated output transformer( 5) with an E type of ferromagnetic core. The line collector ( 6 ) is used for storing the output lines connected to the electrodes. Every output electrode is electrically isolated each other because of the isolation of the output transformer(5) . A display ( 11) displays an desired therapeutic scheme in form of text and image.

An infrared remote control transmitter(9) and an infrared receiver(10) in combination with a level controller control the numeric control amplifier(4) for remotely controlling the increment or decrement of every output, or separately controlling the increment or decrement of a single output.

The level controller (8) controls an analogue value by a high accurate numeric control potentiometer circuit shown in Fig. 2. An output voltage VO of an analogue 1 digital converter MC1408 is directly proportional to an input voltage V and the proportionality factor depends on count condition of a reversible computer 74LS132 generates count pulse having a frequency of about 20Hz.

Claims

1. An IF pulse integral therapeutic apparatus comprises a microprocessor with a keyboard, which controls N groups (N > 4) of an IF pulse system, wherein the pulse system comprises an IF pulse generator generating an IF pulse which is amplified by an amplifier and then output through an isolated output transformer to a pair of electrodes with electrode plates, and wherein in the N groups of the pulse system there is at least one group of electrodes having different sizes of plate, the microprocessor controlling the N groups of the IF pulse system operating synchronously and adjusting the voltage, frequency and waveform of an output of each group of the pulse system respectively.

2. A therapeutic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the size of the plates is in the range of 14 cm2 to 140 cm2.

3. A therapeutic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plate size is in the range 15 cm2 to 60 cm2.

4. A therapeutic apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the electrodes adjacent to each other have an output with phase difference.

5. A therapeutic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus further comprises a level controller for controlling, besides the microprocessor, the IF pulse system.

6. - A therapeutic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display system displays a text and image information.

7. A therapeutic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the apparatus comprises a line collector for collecting and storing the output lines.

8. An IF pulse integral therapeutic apparatus constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.