Directional Epidural Electrodes for Lumbar Spine Pain Targeting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating chronic lower back pain due to degenerated or injured intervertebral discs are inadequate, as they often provide temporary relief and fail to specifically target the pain-generating regions in the posterior longitudinal ligament and annulus fibrosus, with existing technologies lacking directional precision and stability in electrode placement.
Innovation Solution
The development of a lumbar vertebral column electrical stimulator with directional electrodes placed in the anterior epidural space adjacent to the posterior longitudinal ligament, using a pulse generator to deliver adjustable and reversible electrical impulses, along with alternative modalities like light, mechanical vibrations, or thermal energy, to modulate pain signals and potentially irreversibly damage nerves if reversible methods fail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If electrodes are placed in the anterior epidural space adjacent to the posterior longitudinal ligament, then pain reduction coverage is improved, but risk of stimulating adjacent tissues like the cauda equina increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array is designed with directional characteristics where electrodes are positioned and oriented to deliver electrical impulses preferentially to the posterior longitudinal ligament and annulus fibrosus. The anterior placement in the epidural space creates a geometric configuration where the electric field is concentrated in the target region while sparing adjacent structures like the cauda equina through strategic positioning and impedance matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The anterior epidural space serves as an intermediary compartment that allows electrode placement near the target structures (posterior longitudinal ligament and annulus fibrosus) without direct contact. This intermediate space provides a safe buffer zone that reduces the risk of direct stimulation or damage to adjacent sensitive tissues while still enabling effective electrical impulse delivery to the pain-generating regions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If reversible electrical stimulation is used to modulate pain signals, then treatment adjustability is improved, but treatment duration and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pulse generator is designed to deliver adjustable electrical impulses with programmable parameters including pulse width, frequency, and amplitude. The system allows dynamic adjustment of stimulation intensity and pattern to optimize pain relief while minimizing treatment time. The reversible nature of the stimulation enables on-demand treatment that can be activated or deactivated as needed, providing flexibility without requiring prolonged continuous treatment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for targeted, reversible, and adjustable pain reduction with nearly complete coverage of the pain-generating region, preventing stimulation of adjacent tissues like the cauda equina, and offers diagnostic capabilities to optimize stimulation parameters and ensure effective pain management.
Implementation Method 1
electrodes placed in an anterior epidural space of the patient, along with a pulse generator that is connected to the electrodes, are used to deliver electrical impulses to nociceptive and/or other nerves
Implementation Method 2
devices that generate time-varying light, heat, cold, or mechanical vibration are applied to such nerves
Implementation Method 3
devices that generate time-varying light, heat, cold, or mechanical vibration are applied to such nerves
Implementation Method 4
devices that generate time-varying light, heat, cold, or mechanical vibration are applied to such nerves
Implementation Method 5
devices that generate time-varying light, heat, cold, or mechanical vibration are applied to such nerves
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices to treat discogenic lumbar back pain are disclosed. Electrodes are implanted within the anterior epidural space of the patient. A pulse generator that is connected to the electrodes delivers electrical impulses to sympathetic nerves located within the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) of the lumbar spine and outer posterior annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc. In alternate embodiments, energy directed to nerves in the PLL may be from light or mechanical vibrations, or the nerves may be cooled. The electrodes may also be used diagnostically to correlate spontaneous nerve activity with spinal movement, fluctuations in autonomic tone and the patient's experience of pain. The electrodes may also be used to generate diagnostic evoked potentials. The diagnostic data are used to devise parameters for the therapeutic nerve stimulation. Automatic analysis of the data may be incorporated into a closed-loop system that performs the nerve stimulation automatically.