Patent Application
20150018730
The present invention relates generally to a chiropractic treatment protocol, more specifically to a chiropractic treatment protocol that is designed to treat neuro-musculo-skeletal disorders to alleviate symptoms of pain and increase range of motions through mechanical-percussing adjusting instrument.
Pain is perceived within the frontal cortex of the brain by transfer of neurological pathways from the source of stimuli to alarm the body that something is wrong. Pain is the most common reason patients consult with their physicians. More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain. It is estimated that 20% of American adults (42 million people) report pain or physical discomfort as the cause of sleep disturbances a few nights a week or more. It is known that pain is a significant public health problem as it costs society at least $560-$635 billion annually. The invented method of treatment targets mechanical disorders of neuro-musculo-skeletal system.
There are two types of nociceptors (pain receptors), and the differences between them can easily be understood. Let's say that you tripped and fell, landing hard on one knee. You would experience an acute, well-localized, painful sensation in your knee, followed by a dull and aching sensation. This reflects the two types of fiber systems that conduct pain from the periphery into the central nervous system. The first pain signals are carried by A-delta fibers, which are insulated with myelin, protein filled fatty layers and therefore conduct rapidly. The longer-lasting pain signals are carried by C-fibers, which are unmyelinated and conduct slowly.
Chemical agents that do not activate nociceptors can also produce sensitization. The best known of these agents are prostaglandins, which appear when tissues are inflamed by infection, arthritis, or other factors. Their synthesis depends on the enzyme cyclooxygenase. This enzyme is inhibited by many of the medicines that are used to treat pain: aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and the new cyclooxygenase 2 selective drugs, celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx). These drugs are particularly effective for pain associated with sensitization and are better for tenderness than for continuous severe pain.
The central nervous system's pain transmission neurons can also become sensitized in a way similar to the primary afferent nociceptors. This process is called central sensitization, and it is set in motion by neurotransmitter chemicals released at the central terminals of nociceptors. Thus, when a person is injured, the subsequent activity of nociceptors produces a bigger and bigger response in pain transmission pathways; pain begets further pain, even if the stimulus that triggered the response remains the same.
Pain is treated by the following treatment methods: allopathically via analgesics and/or anti-inflammatories or other exogenous chemical agents, surgical intervention, physical medicine such as chiropractic and physical therapy. The most beneficial effective order of treatment should be physical medicine first and if needed combining exogenous chemical agents, then as a last resort, surgical intervention. When treating pain, physical medicine should always be the first method since it deals directly to rehabilitating the injured area as opposed to exogenous medicine which mostly blocks the communication between the injured area and the central nervous system, mainly the brain.
Conventional chiropractic follows the knowledge of basic neurology, such as dermatome, which are areas of skin that are neurologically supplied from sensory nerve fibers from a single spinal nerve, or myotome, a group of muscles neurologically supplied by a single spinal nerve, or conventional anatomy such that when range of motion is limited in a joint due to pain or dysfunction, conventional chiropractic will treat the pain at/or around the site of pain.
In conventional chiropractic via manipulative procedures, nerve receptors are activated by mechanical stimulation at either the site where spinal vertebrae interlock or they are activated at the joints of the limbs or peripherals. Physiologically, within this type of treatment, pain receptors become inactive or less active, resulting in increased range of motion at the desired site and decreased pain level. Based on the dermatomal regions, conventional chiropractic methods treat numbness and tingling or similar neurological disorders that are affected by the dysfunction of body mechanics. However, many times going to site of pain and mechanically manipulating the area, the patient will have adverse reactions to the treatment. As a patient may have reduced or increased sense of to touch or sensation, inflammation, hypersensitivity, or an increased sensitivity to pain, when you treat patient the defensive mechanism of the symptomatic area causes tension at the site, hence exerting manipulation or motion becomes challenging for the doctor and painful for the patient.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a chiropractic treatment protocol that is designed to balance the mechanics of forces that pull the body musculatures to one side verses the other side, hence causing sprain, strain, excessive muscle tension, and/or fatigue of soft tissue manifesting as pain and neuro-musculo-skeletal dysfunction within patients. The present invention focuses on the pain remotely, treating mechanically at the joint diagonally positioned from the symptomatic joint. This is based on theory of four forces to assure zero pressure at the center of forces, resulting in restored balance posture and full range of motion. The treatment method of the present invention is performed at a sister nerve root level to treat disorders associated with nerve root patterns, or areas neurologically supplied by peripheral nerves, so that a shockwave or wave of forces, travels without any mechanical imbalance within the body movement from one point to another, improving daily activities of the patient. The treatment method of the present invention balances the vertical plane that divides the body into front and back portions, the vertical plane that divides the body into right and left sections and the horizontal plane that divides the body into a top section and bottom section to zero force pressure by stimulating nerve receptors remotely through a diagonal pathway of forces at the opposite corner of the plane.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
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The determination of a region of pain or discomfort is accomplished through interactions with the patient. The interaction with the patient would provide vital information for locating the particular region of pain or discomfort and as a result would enable a practitioner to then assess the type of pain or discomfort being experienced by the patient. The interactions with the patient may be accomplished through a medical assessment or survey, wherein the patient would provide the information regarding the point of pain 10 or discomfort as part of the medical assessment. It should be understood that the determination of the region of pain or discomfort can be accomplished through a plurality of means and that the importance of the step is for the localizing the region of pain or discomfort in order to later assess the type of pain being experienced by the patient.
The assessment of the type of pain being experienced by the patient is utilized in conjunction with the determination of the region of pain or discomfort to implement a treatment to a particular point of treatment 20. The assessment step makes the determination between four categories of pain which are location and interaction dependent. The four categories of pain comprise nerve or motor control related pain, joint site discomfort related pain, muscle or tendon condition related pain, and unspecific localized pain. Nerve or motor control related pain is pain associated with particular nerve endings that respond painfully to particular motions or actions. Nerve or motor control related pain is assessed by a practitioner through a plurality of assessment interaction that include, but are not limited to palpation of and/or stimulation of the region of pain or discomfort. Due to the particular nature of the nerve or motor control related pain, the point of pain 10 and the point of treatment 20 are closely associated with dermatome regions. As a result of this relation, regions of pain or discomfort caused by nerve or motor control related pains are directly correlated with dermatome regions. Similar to nerve or motor control related pain, unspecific localized pains such as non-muscular or joint related pains would also rely on dermatome regions. Unspecific localized pain can include headaches and non-muscular abdominal aches and pains. Joint site discomfort related pain is related to pain felt by a patient at a particular joint site during movement or following movement of the particular joint site. Joint site discomfort related pain does not rely on dermatome regions as many joint sites have comparable inversely and contra laterally positioned joint site that function as a point of treatment 20. Muscle or tendon condition related pains are pains related to particular muscle groups, connective tissue, or tendons as a result of an injury or motion. Muscle or tendon condition related pain do not specifically rely on dermatome regions for localization of point of pain 10 and point of treatment 20 although in many instances the point of pain 10 and point of treatments 20 will overlap with dermatome regions.
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It should be noted that the treatment dermatome pairing comprising C1 and the Coccyx is provided with an understanding that the C1 cervical nerve has no associated dermatome region. C1 is unique as the C1 root innervates the meninges of the posterior fossa. A determination of the point of pain 10 being at C1 is particular to nerve or motor control related pain. As a result assessment of the type of pain is greatly important to ensure that proper administration of a treatment to a particular point of treatment 20. When determined as the point of treatment 20, treatment is administered to C1 nerve through the C2 dermatome region.
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It should be noted that the treatment dermatome pairs for the management of unspecific localized pain differs from the treatment dermatome pairs for the management of the nerve or motor control related pain at the dermatome site of the Coccyx. The treatment dermatome pair for the management of the nerve or motor control related pain is nerve specific while dermatome regions relate to dermal regions associated with the particular nerve ending. Resultantly, the dermatome treatment pair for the coccyx would be accomplished by the C1 nerve in the nerve or motor control treatment pair. In the unspecific localized pain treatment pair, the coccyx corresponds to the C2 dermatome region causing a shift for the treatment pairs. As a result, C3 is paired with the SI Sacroliac Nerve, C4 is paired with L5, C5 is paired with L4, C6 is paired with L3, C7 is paired with L2, and C8 is paired with L1.
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The management of the joint site discomfort related pain is accomplished through the determination of an affected joint site as the region of pain or discomfort. An affected joint site is indentified by a practitioner through a medical assessment that may include palpation of the region of pain or discomfort. The practitioner can additionally request the patient articulate the particular joint to make the determination. Upon the determination of the affected joint site as the region of pain or discomfort, the practitioner identifies a point of pain 10 on the affected joint site. The identification of the point of pain 10 provides specificity that helps in the administration of the treatment. Following the identification of the point of pain 10, the practitioner determines a corresponding point of treatment 20 to the point of pain 10 based on a joint site treatment pair. The joint site treatment pair allows a practitioner to determine the corresponding treatment joint site. The corresponding treatment joint site is utilized with the knowledge of the point of pain 10 to correctly identify the contralateral positioning of the point of treatment 20 on the corresponding treatment joint site. The practitioner administers mechanical stimulation to the treatment joint site as necessary. Following the administration of the mechanical stimulation, the practitioner reevaluates the patient to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
It should be noted that the joint site treatment pairs comprise the Meta-Carpo-Carpal Joint paired with the Meta-Tarsal Joint, the Meta-Carpo-Phalangeal paired with the Meta-Tarso-Halux Phalangeal, the Proximal Phalangeal paired with the Pedal Proximal Phalangeal, and the Distal Phalangeal paired with the Distal Pedal Phalangeal. The aforementioned joint site treatment pairs are each related to a particular digit of the users hand or foot. It should be understood that the joint pairing would correspond to the particular joint on the corresponding digit of the patients hand or foot such that the affected joint site on the Meta-Carpo-Carpal Joint of the first digit on the patients hand would correspond with the Meta-Tarsal Joint of the first digit on the patient's foot.
In the current embodiment of the present invention, the management of joint site discomfort is provided with a join site treatment triplet for particular joint sites. It has been observed that the particular administration of mechanical stimulation to two remote treatment joint sites for a particular affected joint site has achieved favorable treatment outcomes. The particular joint sites in question comprise the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ), the Hip Joint, and the shoulder. A particular relationship has been determined between the temporomandibular joint and the shoulder, where treatment administration on either is ipsilateral to one another. For instance, an identification of the point of pain 10 on the right temporomandibular joint would result in an ipsilater point of treatment 20 on the right shoulder, but a contralateral point of treatment 20 on the hip joint. Furthermore, in another example, the identification of the point of pain 10 on the right hip joint would result in a contralateral point of treatment 20 for both the shoulder and the temporomandibular joint.
In the current embodiment of the present invention, the management of joint site discomfort related pain additionally comprises the directional treatment administration to a treatment joint site. Directional treatment administration is provided to particular join site treatment pair comprising the acromioclavicular joint and the anterior iliac spine. The direction treatment administration is provided when the point of pain 10 is determined on the acromiclavicular joint. It has been determined that the administration treatment to the anterior iliac spine produces the most favorable results when a mechanical stimulation is administered to the anterior iliac spine from the anterior superior iliac spine towards the anterior inferior iliac spine.
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In the current embodiment of the present invention, the point of pain 10 on an affected muscle or tendon may be directionally activated with a particular bias in movement. The particular bias in the direction of activation for the affected muscle or tendon would be such that a clockwise rotation would activate the point of pain 10. In the aforementioned example, administration of a counter directional movement on the point of treatment 20 would be deemed appropriate on the corresponding treatment muscle or tendon associated with the affected muscle or tendon on which the point of pain 10 is found on. In an embodiment of the present invention, generalized neck pain upon rotation in cervical paraspinal is alleviated through the rotation of the lumbar to the opposite side and treating the lumbar paraspinalis. Similarly, the treatment of a cervical paraspinal pain upon lateral (right or left) bending is treated through a bend at the lumbar spine to the opposite direction of the cervical lateral bending that causes the pain and would include mechanical stimulation/manipulation on the lumbar paraspinal to the side of bending in order to alleviate pain.
In the current embodiment of the present invention, headaches are treatable through complimentary locations on the navel region. Frontal headache are treatable through the administration of treatment to a region one inch above the naval and one inch lateral each way going across. Coronal headaches are treatable through the administration of treatment to the sacro coccyxgeal area. Furthermore, parietal headaches are treatable through the administration of contralateral stimulation to the gluto-acetabular region.
The chiropractic treatment method for pain management is able to remotely treat an affected area of a patient's body. The preset invention accomplishes this through a method for administrating mechanical stimulation at a position that is diagonal from the affected region. The remote administration of mechanical stimulation relieves pain caused by a plurality of reasons and through the understanding of the theory of four forces, assure zero pressure at the center of force, resulting in restored balanced posture and a full range of motion. In the current embodiment of the present invention, the treatment method utilizes dermatome regions in order to distinguish the pain regions as well as subsequent treatment regions. It should be noted that while dermatome regions are utilized in the present invention, the current embodiment utilizes a novel interpretation of the dermatome regions that provides facilitated identification of pain/discomfort areas as well as contra-laterally treatment regions. Furthermore it should be noted that treatment regions are dependent on the type of pain that is experienced by the user.
The treatment method comprises the steps of determining the region of pain or discomfort, assessing the patient's type of discomfort, determining contra-laterally positioned treatment region on the patient's body, administering the treatment to the patient, and reevaluating the patient's condition. The determination of the region of pain or discomfort is provided as the step of the method that associates a patient's discomfort with a particular dermatome region. The assessment of the patient's pain is provided as the step of the method that determines the type of pain/discomfort the patient is feeling. The determination of the contra-lateral positioning of the treatment region on the patient's body is provided as an identifying step for determining the contra-lateral position of treatment administration based on the type of pain and the associated pain region. The administration of the treatment to the patient is provided as the step of the method that mechanical stimulation would administered to the determined treatment region. The revaluation of the patient is provided as the step of the method that assesses the success of the treatment. Through the combination of the aforementioned method steps, the treatment method would provide an alternative pain management treatment.
The method step of determining the region of pain or discomfort for a patient is the step that is utilized to locate the region that the patient is experiencing discomfort. During the step, a practitioner would assess the patient's general complaint and utilize a dermatome diagram and their anatomical knowledge to make a determination regarding the patient's specific area of discomfort. Additionally the practitioner would utilize their knowledge to make determination regarding joint sites as well as muscle and tendon site to administer treatments. It should be noted that compound injuries and a combination of various injuries would be taken into account and a practitioner may utilizes their discretion to determine on which region of discomfort to focus on first.
The method step of assessing the patient's type of discomfort is the step that is utilized to determine if the patient is experiencing pain/discomfort that is related with nerve and motor control issues or if the patient is experiencing discomfort due to a particular dermatome. During the step, the practitioner would utilize the patient's medical history and exam the patient's region of discomfort to make the determination regarding what type of pain the patient is feeling. It should be noted that the determination step for locating the patient's region of discomfort is a prerequisite step for evaluating the patient's pain type, as the type of pain may be essential in determining the corresponding treatment region for the patient's particular pain.
The method step of determining the contra-laterally positioned treatment region on the patient's body is provided as the step where the practitioner utilizes the prior steps and their knowledge to locate the treatment region based on Table 1-4. During the step, the practitioner would evaluate the region of discomfort and the pain type and reference Table 1 and Table 2 to determine the contra laterally positioned treatment location. Additionally the practitioner would utilize Table 3 and Table 4 to make determinations regarding discomfort felt in particular joint sites and muscle and tendon regions.
The method step of administering the treatment to the patient is provided as the step where the practitioner administers mechanical stimulation to the determined treatment location. During the step the practitioner would administer mechanical stimulation as need to the pre-determined treatment location wherein the duration and intensity of the mechanical stimulation would be dependent of the intensity and type of discomfort felt by the patient. It should be noted that the duration and intensity of the mechanical stimulation would be influenced by the practitioner's knowledge of the patient's particular condition and could deviate as needed in order to accommodate the patient's needs.
The method step of reevaluating the patient's condition is provided as the step where the practitioner determines the success of the treatment and the further determines a treatment schedule for the patient. During the step the practitioner evaluates the treatment's effectiveness by determining changes to the patient's initial complaints; results are normally seen immediately after administering the treatment. Typically the results will show a 20-30% improvement in range of motion complaints and a noticeable difference in dermatome, joint, and muscle and tendon pain. It should be noted that the practitioner may additionally recommend follow up visits as needed at this point.
The sagittal plane is utilized in order to function as a dividing plane that separates the right and left side of the body. The division provides the treatment method with a mid line in order to establish diagonally positioned points from right to left, left to right, top to bottom, and bottom to top. In accordance with the current embodiment of the present invention, discomfort felt in the upper thorax, or the area between the neck and diaphragm which is incased by the ribs and mid-spine, is treated by the lower thorax. Similarly, the cervical-occipital region, or neck area, is treated by the lumbo-sacro-coccygeal region or the lower region of the spine-triangular bone at the end of the spine. Additionally, the cranium region is treated by the lower gluteal or abdominal region and the upper extremities are treated by the lower extremities and vice versa.
The treatment method locates site of pain from patient, as well as what aggravates or amplifies the pain. Once point of pain 10 and amplifiers are determined, the treatment method stimulates the neuro-mechano receptors using a chiropractic instrument used to treat joint, nerve, and muscular systems via repetitive pulsations. At the opposite point of the sagittal plane as described above. An example of this situation would be if a patient is complaining of pain within the upper extremity region, the treatment method would stimulate the neuro-mechano receptors at the opposite plane point within the lower extremity region on the opposite side of the body.
Within spinal articular fixation or lesions, which is a mechanical dysfunction within the spinal joints, the treatment method would focus on the zygapophyseal joints at the sister vertebrae to treat mechanical derangement. For neurological disorders such as numbness or tingling known as paresthesia or weak muscles due to poor innervation, the treatment method would be administered at the sister nerve root to balance the axoplasmic flow of the nerve pattern, which is basically the circulation of fluid between the cell body of a neuron to the tail of the same neuron, known as the axon or the terminal process of a neuron.
In the current embodiment of the present invention, the treatment method activates the muscle spindle (stretch receptor) by stretching the muscle on the opposite plane within the opposite extremity region. By stretching the opposite plane muscle within the opposite extremity region, the stretched muscle communicates signals to the injured muscle spindle that increases range of motion and decreases pain. A similar phenomenon applies at the spinal level between the sister vertebral joints via stimulating the proprioceptors, which are nerve receptors associated with movement and position of the body. When treatment is administered to the sister vertebrae, the misaligned vertebrae regains increased range of motion and the patient experiences pain relief.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/843,704 filed on Jul. 8, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61843704 | Jul 2013 | US |
