In a wide variety of physical therapy applications, some form of massage is used to sooth and/or stimulate an injured area of one's body. Even though all massage therapies are initiated at the body's surface, the effects of some therapies are limited to areas at or near the skin's surface while the effects of other therapies are felt deeper within one's body.
Surface-effect therapies include those performed by a masseur, those involving immersion in tanks or hot/cold tubs in which the water is agitated by jets/pumps, and those performed using hand-held vibration devices, just to name a few. While these techniques generally feel very good and address soreness at or near one's surface musculature, these surface-based techniques are unable to have a large effect on muscles and/or nerves that lie further beneath the skin's surface.
Recognizing the benefits of internal muscle massage and nerve stimulation, the science of kinesiology has developed a variety of electrical and ultrasound systems/techniques that can be used to impact muscles and nerves located further in the body. Typically, electrodes or transducers are positioned on the person's skin and energy is applied thereto. Although this energy is delivered deeply into one's body, a burning sensation is often associated therewith. That is, while healing and/or stimulation is reaching the area of concern, the patient may experience a level of discomfort. Unfortunately, the discomfort felt during treatment can produce a counterproductive stress effect on the patient.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds