RU2645964C2 - Method for electrical exposure of living organism - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medicine, particularly physiotherapy, and may be used for electrical exposure of a living organism. Electrodes are placed the skin and electrical impulses from an inductive energy store are passed through the electrodes. High-amplitude pulses which cause sub-electrode tissue vibration are used. At least one of the electrodes is rearranged, detaching off from the skin, or moved, without detaching from the skin, at the moment when increase in sub-electrode capacitance ceases and/or when the vibration of the sub-electrode tissues stops. At least this electrode is used dry.

EFFECT: method ensures high effectiveness of therapy by maximising the use of physical processes that arise during electrode-skin interaction and combined electrical pulse and mechanical effects.

1 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The invention relates to physiotherapy, in particular to methods of electropulse effects on the human skin, in which an inductive energy storage device is used to generate stimuli and high-amplitude pulses are used, which causes vibration of the sub-electrode tissues.

Known methods and devices for influencing the body with alternating or intermittent electric current supplied through contact electrodes.

Among them, there are methods and devices for electrical action on the human skin with devices that use an inductive energy storage device to generate stimuli, which makes it possible to control the energy of stimuli, and their amplitude and shape depend on the interelectrode impedance. Such methods and devices can significantly increase the central effect of electrical stimulation by reducing the adaptation (habituation) of receptors to dynamically changing external electrical stimulation, and therefore increase the effectiveness of the impact as a whole. (The problem of addiction and a decrease in this regard, the effectiveness of electrical exposure is known, but not finally solved [see, for example, TENS. An Introduction That Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. U.S. Department of health and human services, USA, Maryland, August 1986].)

There is a method of assessing the electrophysiological state of a person, which consists in installing electrodes on the skin, passing an electric signal from a high-quality inductor saturated with electromagnetic energy through a sub-electrode tissue, and assessing a person’s condition based on the results of measuring the frequency or amplitude or attenuation of these oscillations (patent RU 2161904 C2, A61B 5/05, A61H 39/00, published on January 20, 2001).

This method is associated with the invention, by passing through the sub-electrode tissue an electric signal from a high-quality inductance coil saturated with electromagnetic energy (in the general case, from an inductive energy storage device).

The disadvantage of this method for the purpose of electric exposure is that it does not provide for the use of dry electrodes, nor does it relocate or move the electrodes across the skin and, therefore, does not relate the duration of a single electrode placement or the speed of movement with a change in the sub-electrode capacitance and / or vibration level from exposure .

A known method of electrical exposure, including the installation of electrodes on the skin and passing through the electrodes of electrical pulses that cause vibration of the sub-electrode tissue and control the parameters of the pulse and the moment of exposure, depending on the characteristics of the sound that occurs when the skin vibrates as a result of electrical exposure (patent RU 2325930 C2, A61N 1 / 36, A61B 5/11, publ. 06/10/2008).

The advantage of this invention is the combined effect of electropulse and mechanical (vibration), as well as control of the parameters of the pulses and the moment of termination of exposure, depending on the characteristics of the sound that occurs when the skin vibrates.

However, this method does not provide for the rearrangement or movement of the electrodes over the skin during exposure, does not relate the duration of a single placement of the electrodes or the speed of movement with a change in the sub-electrode capacitance and / or the level of vibration or sound from exposure, and therefore does not allow the maximum use of the physical processes that occur during electrode-skin interaction. In addition, exposure to dry electrodes is not provided, which reduces or even eliminates both the effect of vibration of the sub-electrode tissues and the variability of the stimuli, and ultimately reduces the effectiveness of the electrical effects.

Closest to the claimed method is described in the application RU 2009144935 from 12.24.2007, publ. 06/10/2011, bull. No. 16. It includes the installation of electrodes on the skin, passing electric pulses through the electrodes from the inductor, the use of high-amplitude pulses that cause vibration of the sub-electrode tissues.

The advantage of this method is the use of pulses that cause vibration of the sub-electrode tissues, and the disadvantage is that this method does not provide for the rearrangement or movement of the electrodes in the course of electric exposure, does not connect the duration of a single setting of the electrodes or the speed of movement with a change in the sub-electrode capacitance and / or vibration level from exposure , and, accordingly, does not allow the maximum use of the physical processes that occur during the electrode-skin interaction, which reduces the effect of the effectiveness of electrical exposure in general.

The problem to which the invention is directed, is to increase the efficiency of existing methods of electrical effects on a living organism.

The technical result is achieved due to the maximum use of physical processes arising from the electrode-skin interaction and combined (electrical pulse and mechanical) effects.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that with electrical exposure to the skin, including the transmission of electrical impulses through the electrodes from an inductive storage device, the use of high-amplitude impulses that cause vibration of the sub-electrode tissues, at least one of the electrodes is rearranged, tearing off the skin, or moving, without tearing off the skin , at the moment of termination of the growth of the subelectrode capacitance and / or termination of the vibration of the subelectrode tissues, at least one of these electrodes is used dry.

A variant of the method is a combination of permutations and movements.

The invention is illustrated by drawings, which depict:

- in FIG. 1 - form of stimuli before the installation of electrodes on the skin;

- in FIG. 2 - form of stimuli immediately after the installation of electrodes on the skin;

- in FIG. 3 - form of stimuli 5 s after the installation of electrodes on the skin;

- in FIG. 4 - form of stimuli 30 s after the installation of electrodes on the skin;

- in FIG. 5 - time variation of double layer capacitance and active resistance.

In electrotherapy, the static use of electrodes is generally accepted, i.e. electrodes are installed on the patient, in one way or another fixed and produce an effect. In this case, as a rule, they use gaskets moistened with water (transcranial electrical stimulation), or adhesive (self-adhesive) electrodes (short-pulse analgesia, percutaneous electrical stimulation). Cloth electrodes are also wetted with saline. Rubber and silicone electrodes are lubricated with conductive gel. In some cases, with short-pulse analgesia (percutaneous electrical stimulation), a movable electrode is used [see Bogolyubov V.M., Ponomarenko G.N. General physiotherapy. - M.: Medicine, 2003 .-- 432 p.: Ill .; Physiotherapy. National Leadership / Ed. prof. G.N. Ponomarenko. - M .: Publishing group "GEOTAR-Media", 2009. - 864 p.].

In all these examples, they strive to achieve the best conductivity of the electrode-skin section, ignoring the possibility of using physical processes that occur at the electrode-skin interface.

An important feature of electric exposure using an inductive storage device (as well as SCENAR-therapy as a special case of it) to form electric pulses is the two-stage formation of the acting pulses. At the first stage, energy is stored in the inductive storage ring, which at the second stage also has a stimulating effect on the sub-electrode tissues. This method allows you to directly control the impact energy, and the oscillatory circuit formed by the inductive storage ring and the capacitance of the sub-electrode tissues provides significant signal variability, at which each subsequent pulse differs from the previous one. Another important physical characteristic that determines the effectiveness of such electrical effects is the presence of vibration (manifested as “sounding”) of the skin caused by high-amplitude exposure. [Ya.Z. Greenberg About one effect of SCENAR-effect // News of TRTU, No. 6, 2004. - P. 100-105; Ya.Z. Greenberg Once again about the features of SCENAR-influence // News of TRTU, No. 11, 2006. - P. 144-147; Ya.Z. Greenberg On the mechanism of transformation of vibrations in the body // Engineering Bulletin of the Don, No. 4, part 2, 2014].

From those shown in FIG. 1-1 oscillograms (they clearly distinguish two stages of the stimuli) obtained during exposure to the SCENAR apparatus (TU 9444-015-05010925-2004) with a constant value of the stimulus energy and the installation of dry electrodes on the skin, it follows that the amplitude of the stimuli, when idling, it reaches 300 V (Fig. 1, see the results of automatic amplitude measurement, indicated by a frame in the upper right corner), immediately after installing the electrodes on the fabric, it decreases to 228 V (Fig. 2), then drops to 90 V within 5 s (Fig. 3), and after another 25 s it drops to 42-46 V (Fig. 4).

The decrease in the amplitude and the change in the oscillation parameters when the dry electrodes come in contact with the skin surface are associated with the formation of a double electric layer, the electrical equivalent of which can be represented as an RC chain [Methods of Clinical Neurophysiology / Ed. V.B. Buckwheat. - L .: Nauka, 1977, p. 7-8].

The parameters of this chain change over time (Fig. 5), and both components change significantly and at first quite quickly, which leads to a rapid decrease in the amplitude of the pulse voltage and a rapid change in the parameters of the damped signal. A large amplitude is observed at the moment of touch and for some time after it. Since the level of vibration is proportional to the voltage, then at the same time the maximum vibration impulses affect the body. It was then that the maximum variability of the signal caused by a change in the capacitance of the double layer.

With a stable effect, adopted in physiotherapy, when the electrodes are installed on the patient and do not rearrange (do not move) during the procedure, the vibration effect is absent or insignificant. The use of adhesive or wet electrodes further reduces the effect of vibration, since in these cases the patient feels a comfortable feeling of current at a low amplitude of the acting voltage, as well as due to the moistening of the upper weakly conducting layers of the epidermis. At the same time, there is practically no variability, since the capacity of the double layer is leveled by wet electrodes.

To maintain a high voltage amplitude and, therefore, a sufficient level of vibration, while maintaining high signal variability, permutation or movement of dry electrodes along the skin during the procedure allows the duration of one electrode placement and the speed of movement to be determined by the change in the magnitude of the sub-electrode capacitance and / or vibration level.

In the case of rearrangement, at each touch of the electrode to the skin, the voltage amplitude is maximum and the maximum shape variability (Fig. 1-3). Studies have confirmed that with a patient exposed to and moving dry electrodes comfortable, the level of vibration is significantly higher than with stationary electrodes [Y.Z. Greenberg, M.A. Unakafov. Vibroacoustic effects of SCENAR-influence // News of SFU. Thematic issue. Technical science. - Taganrog: publishing house of TTI SFU, 2009, No. 10 (99). - S. 123-128].

When using spaced electrodes, one of them may be adhesive (or wet), installed outside the exposure zone. The other electrode, which is rearranged over the area of the selected area of the skin, tearing off the skin, or is moved without tearing, is dry.

The permutation and movement of the dry (dry) electrode (s) can be combined (alternated).

The claimed method is as follows. Based on diagnostic signs or patient complaints, a zone for electrical exposure is selected. The electrodes are installed on the skin near the affected area. They set the energy of electric action, for example, according to individual sensations, usually at a comfortable level. Also, manually or automatically set the remaining parameters of the electrical effects in accordance with the selected treatment methodology.

When using permutation with separation from the skin, dry electrodes (or a single dry electrode) are applied to the skin for about 5-15 seconds, after which they are torn off (removed from the skin) and installed in a new place. The moment of termination of exposure is determined by the decrease (termination) of the growth of the sub-electrode capacitance at about time t ₁ (see Fig. 5) and / or by the decrease (termination) of vibration.

The most obvious way to evaluate changes in the sub-electrode capacitance is to measure the period of free oscillations of the stimulating signal itself (see the waveforms in Figs. 1-4). The criterion of "reduction (termination) of growth of the sub-electrode capacitance" corresponds to a decrease (termination) of growth of the period of free oscillations.

The level of vibration can be estimated either directly by a suitable sensor, for example, an accelerometer, or through the level of sound arising from vibration of the sub-electrode tissues.

The capacity of the double layer, as can be seen from FIG. 5, it grows more and more slowly and slowly over time, and “termination of its growth” should actually mean a decrease in the growth rate below a certain threshold, determined, for example, by the accuracy of measurements or fluctuations of the measured value (directly of the capacity or period of oscillations) caused by internal , the influence of blood flow, etc.) or external (non-uniformity of the pressure of the electrodes) reasons. The same applies to the level of vibration or sound, the measurement results of which are affected, in addition to the listed factors, also by external noise.

When using movement without separation, dry electrodes (or a single dry electrode) are placed on the skin in the area selected for processing, and they are moved in one or more steps, while the speed of movement of the dry electrode is determined by maintaining a high level of vibration or sound from exposure. A criterion for changing the speed of movement can be a sub-electrode capacitance, the change of which should not significantly reduce the amplitude of the acting signal.

The proposed method can be used in the treatment of various diseases, primarily pain syndromes, stimulants with inductive energy storage. The method allows to reduce the time and number of medical procedures while increasing the effectiveness of the impact.

Claims (2)

1. The method of electrical effects on a living organism, including the installation of electrodes on the skin and passing through the electrodes of electrical pulses from an inductive energy storage device, the use of high-amplitude pulses causing vibration of the electrode tissue, characterized in that at least one of the electrodes is rearranged, tearing it away from the skin , or they move, without tearing off the skin, at the moment of termination of the growth of the subelectrode capacitance and / or termination of the vibration of the subelectrode tissues, at least this electrode is used called dry. 2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the permutation and movement of the dry electrode or both dry electrodes are combined.

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