Systems and methods for modulating pressure wave therapy

1. An energy-based acoustic wave therapy apparatus, comprising:

an acoustic wave therapy device configured to provide therapeutic acoustic energy to a patient;

a user interface that receives a change to a therapy parameter;

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that controls acoustic wave energy output of the device based on output profiles programmed into the processor, the output profiles comprising:

a therapeutic acoustic wave energy output profile comprising a desired target energy level and a therapeutic duration for controlling the energy output of the device during a therapeutic period, and

a ramp-up energy output profile comprising an initial treatment energy level and a ramp-up duration for controlling the output of the device during a ramp-up period, wherein the energy output specified by the ramp-up energy output profile incrementally increases over the ramp-up duration as a function of the desired target energy level and the ramp-up duration, and

wherein the processor is configured to:

control an energy output of the acoustic wave therapy device based on a therapy profile comprising the ramp-up energy output profile and the therapeutic acoustic wave energy output profile;

automatically adjust the therapy profile to meet required criteria stored in the memory;

receive, from the user interface, an input from a user to change a therapy parameter;

automatically adjust the therapy profile when the input to change the therapy parameter is received; and

instruct the device to provide a treatment according to the adjusted therapy profile.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust a ramp-up function, a desired target energy output, and a steady state energy level that is at or below the desired target energy output.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is a device selected from the group consisting of a touch screen, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a dial, and a connectable memory module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ramp-up energy output profile is further configured as a polynomial function, an exponential function, a linear function, an affine function or a step-wise function.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the change to the therapy parameter is change to the desired target energy level and the processor is configured to adjust a target energy level of the therapeutic energy output profile when the change to the therapy parameter is received.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the change to the therapy parameter is a duration and the processor is configured to adjust the therapeutic duration when the change to the therapy parameter is received.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

recalculate an energy of one or more pulses of the ramp-up energy output profile when the change to the therapy parameter is received from the user interface when the change to the therapy parameter is received during the ramp-up period.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

recalculate a number of pulses of the ramp-up energy output profile when the change to the therapy parameter is received from the user interface when the change to the therapy parameter is received during the ramp-up period.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic wave therapy device is configured to deliver therapeutic energy at a frequency of approximately 0.5-35 Hz, at a pressure of 1.0-5.0 bar, and in 10-10000 pulses delivered in a ramp up portion and a therapeutic portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from the user interface, an input;

determine that the input from the user interface is a patient tolerance threshold indicator by querying the memory in which an operator or patient preference has been stored;

instruct the device to automatically discontinue the treatment in response to identification of the patient tolerance threshold indicator;

identify treatment parameters delivered when the patient tolerance threshold indicator is received; and

display the treatment parameters and/or record the treatment parameters in the memory.

11. A method for applying acoustic wave energy-based therapy to a patient, comprising:

applying an acoustic wave therapy device configured to provide therapeutic energy to a patient;

configuring a processor to control an energy output of the acoustic wave therapy device based on a therapy profile comprising a ramp-up energy output profile and a therapeutic energy output profile programmed into the processor;

automatically adjusting the therapy profile to meet required criteria stored in a memory coupled to the processor;

providing a ramp-up treatment according to the automatically adjusted therapy profile by activating the processor to incrementally increase the energy output over a ramp-up period as a function of a desired target energy level and a ramp-up duration;

receiving, from a user interface, an input from a user to change a therapy parameter;

automatically adjusting the therapy profile in response to the input; and

providing a treatment according to the adjusted therapy output profile.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

controlling, by the processor, delivery of pneumatic energy pulses during the ramp-up period; and

providing, by the device, a pneumatic pressure level that incrementally increases as a function of the number of pulses delivered.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising delivering, by the device, the desired target energy level at the end of the ramp-up period and preventing, by the processor, the energy output to increase above the desired target energy level throughout the therapeutic period.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving, at the processor, adjustments of a ramp-up function, a desired target energy output, and a steady state energy level that is at or below the desired target energy output, wherein the adjustments are entered using the user interface.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving from the user interface further comprises receiving from a device selected from the group consisting of a touch screen, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a dial, and a connectable memory module.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the automatically adjusting the therapy profile further comprises adjusting the desired target energy level.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the change to the therapy parameter is a duration and the processor is configured to adjust a therapeutic duration when the change to the therapy parameter is received.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the automatically adjusting the therapy profile further comprises adjusting the ramp-up duration of the ramp-up energy output profile when the change to the therapy parameter is received during the ramp-up period.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein a frequency of the therapeutic energy is approximately 0.5-35 Hz, wherein a pressure of the therapeutic energy is 1.0-5.0 bar, and wherein the therapeutic energy is delivered in 10-10000 pulses delivered in a ramp up portion and a therapeutic portion.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving, from the user interface, an input;

determining, by the processor, that the input from the user interface is a patient tolerance threshold indicator by querying the memory in which an operator or patient preference has been stored;

automatically discontinuing, by the processor, the treatment in response to identification of the patient tolerance threshold indicator;

identifying, by the processor, treatment parameters delivered when the patient tolerance threshold indicator is received; and

displaying the treatment parameters and/or recording the treatment parameters in the memory.