Systems for modulating pressure wave therapy
A processor-controlled, energy-based therapy apparatus includes a pressure wave therapy device configured to provide therapeutic acoustic pulses to a patient and a processor that controls the output of the device. The pressure wave therapy device may include a control unit configured to control the pressure wave therapy device to deliver a treatment program, the treatment program comprising a plurality of acoustic pulses, each acoustic pulse comprising a pressure, the control unit including a memory storing patient-specific treatment information relating to a pain threshold of the patient; and a pain threshold indicator coupled to the control unit, the pain threshold indicator operable by the patient to provide an indication to the control unit of when a patient's pain threshold has been reached because an energy level delivered to the patient is unbearable.
1. A pressure wave therapy system comprising:
a pressure wave therapy device configured to deliver acoustic pulses to a patient;
a control unit comprising:
a memory storing a set of pressure wave treatment criteria associated with the pressure wave therapy device and patient-specific treatment information relating to a pain threshold of the patient, and
a processor configured to:
identify a frequency, a duration, and a target energy level of a pressure wave treatment,
determine a therapy profile based on the frequency, the duration, and the target energy level,
evaluate the therapy profile against the set of pressure wave treatment criteria and automatically adjust at least one of the frequency, duration, and target energy level of the therapy profile to make an adjusted therapy profile based on the set of pressure wave treatment criteria associated with the pressure wave therapy device when the processor determines that the therapy profile does not meet the set of pressure wave treatment criteria,
cause the pressure wave therapy device to provide the pressure wave treatment to the patient according to;
the therapy profile when the processor determines that the therapy profile meets the set of pressure wave treatment criteria, or
the adjusted therapy profile when the processor determines that the therapy profile does not meet the set of pressure wave treatment criteria, and
modify the therapy profile upon receipt of an indication of the patient's pain threshold from a pain threshold indicator by at least one of:
stopping an increase in the pressure delivered by the acoustic pulses of the pressure wave therapy device; and
decreasing the pressure delivered by the acoustic pulses of the pressure wave therapy device; and
wherein the pain threshold indicator is coupled to the control unit, and the pain threshold indicator is operable by the patient during delivery of the therapy profile to provide the indication to the control unit of the patient's pain threshold.
2. The pressure wave therapy system of claim 1 , wherein the patient-specific treatment information stored in the memory includes a pain threshold of the patient determined during a previous pressure wave treatment.
3. The pressure wave therapy system of claim 1 , wherein, when the patient operates the pain threshold indicator, the control unit is configured to store a current pressure of an acoustic pulse delivered by the pressure wave therapy device as the pain threshold of the patient in the memory.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the therapy profile comprises:
a ramp-up profile comprising an initial treatment energy level and a ramp-up duration for controlling the output pressure of the pressure wave therapy device during a ramp-up period, wherein the pressure specified by the ramp-up energy output profile incrementally increases over the ramp-up duration as a function of the target energy level and the ramp-up duration.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the ramp-up profile is further configured as a polynomial function, an exponential function, a linear function, an affine function or a step-wise function.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the ramp-up profile is configured to control delivery of acoustic pulses during the ramp-up period, and to provide a pressure level that incrementally increases as a function of the number of pulses delivered.
7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to provide control signals to pneumatic and mechanical components for controlling the pressure wave therapy device to deliver the pressure wave treatment.
8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to adjust the ramp-up energy profile when an indication of a pain threshold of the patient is received from the pain threshold indicator.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the indication of pain threshold is received during the pressure wave treatment, the control unit adjusts the pressure wave treatment.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the adjustment to the pressure wave treatment comprises stopping the pressure wave treatment.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein, when the indication of the pain threshold is received during the ramp-up period, the adjustment to the pressure wave treatment comprises setting the target energy level as a current pressure delivered by the pressure wave therapy device.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein, when the indication of the pain threshold is received after the ramp-up period, the adjustment to the pressure wave treatment comprises decreasing the therapeutic duration.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein, when the indication of the pain threshold is received after the ramp-up period, the adjustment to the pressure wave treatment comprises decreasing the target energy level.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pain threshold indicator comprises a microphone.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pain threshold indictor comprises a touchscreen input.
16. The system of claim 1 , comprises a handheld component including a button or a dial.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure 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.
18. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface that receives a change to a therapy parameter.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of pressure wave treatment criteria comprise at least one of:
a range of energy level that the pressure wave therapy device is capable of providing;
a range of and frequency that the pressure wave therapy device is capable of providing; and
a maximum energy level that should not be exceeded for a particular treatment site.