Granted Patent B2

US 10,549,111 · App. 16/219,724 · Granted Feb 4, 2020

Inventors: Tomás Schwarz (Prague, CZ); Ondra Prouza ({hacek over (R)}í{hacek over (c)}any u Prahy, CZ)

Assignee: BTL Medical Technologies S.R.O.

A61N2/004A61F7/00A61N1/40A61N2/002A61N5/0613A61N7/00A61F2007/004A61F2007/0022A61F2007/0041A61N2007/0008

Abstract

Claims (92)

1. A method for inducing muscle hypertrophy or muscle hyperplasia in a patient, the method comprising:

providing a first treatment by:

placing a first applicator housing a first magnetic field generating device and a second applicator housing a second magnetic field generating device proximate to a body region of the patient, wherein the body region includes at least one of a gluteus maximus, a gluteus medius, a gluteus minimus, a rectus abdominis, an abdominal, internal oblique, an abdominal external oblique, a transverse abdominal, or a pyramidalis of the patient;

attaching the first applicator and the second applicator to the body region of the patient via a flexible belt;

charging a first energy storage device and a second energy storage device;

switching a first switching device to discharge energy from the first energy storage device to the first magnetic field generating device such that a first time-varying magnetic field is generated with a first plurality of magnetic pulses;

switching a second switching device to discharge energy from the second energy storage device to the second magnetic field generating device such that a second time-varying magnetic field is generated with a second plurality of magnetic pulses;

modulating the first plurality of magnetic pulses into a first plurality of bursts and the second magnetic plurality of pulses into a second plurality of bursts, each of the first plurality of bursts and the second plurality of bursts includes:

(i) an active treatment period with a train of magnetic pulses lasting for a time period between 0.1 seconds and 100 seconds that is configured to cause a muscle contraction by the patient, and

(ii) a passive treatment period without generating a magnetic field that is configured to cause a muscle contraction by the patient, wherein the active treatment period is followed by the passive treatment period;

applying the first plurality of bursts and the second plurality of bursts to muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within the body region of the patient such that a muscle is caused to contract,

wherein the first plurality of bursts differs from the second plurality of bursts by at least one treatment parameter selected from a group consisting of a repetition rate of the magnetic pulses and a magnetic flux density.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of bursts and the second plurality of bursts are simultaneously applied.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the first applicator and the second applicator at the body region in mutually tilted planes defined by an angle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first time-varying magnetic field and the second time-varying magnetic field are simultaneously generated.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying the first and second time-varying magnetic fields to cooperating muscles or pair muscles.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the first plurality of bursts and the second plurality of bursts causes supramaximal contraction of the muscle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the first plurality of bursts and the second plurality of bursts causes at least an incomplete tetanus contraction of the patient's muscle.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the body region includes a pair of muscles or cooperating muscles.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a thermal treatment comprising:

heating skin of the patient to a temperature in a range between 37° C. and 60° C.

10. A method for treating a patient, the method comprising:

providing a first treatment by:

placing an applicator including a magnetic field generating device proximate to a body region of the patient;

attaching the applicator to the body region of the patient via a flexible belt;

providing a current pulse of at least 100 A to the magnetic field generating device;

generating, by the magnetic field generating device, a time-varying magnetic field with a plurality of magnetic pulses and a magnetic flux density in a range between 0.5 Tesla and 7 Tesla;

applying the time-varying magnetic field with a repetition rate in a range between 1 Hz and 300 Hz and with an impulse duration in a range between 3 μs and 1000 μs to muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within the body region of the patient such that a muscle is caused to contract;

wherein the step of applying the time-varying magnetic field includes applying at least 1000 magnetic pulses of the time-varying magnetic field to the muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within the body region of the patient; and

providing a second treatment by:

heating a skin within the body region of the patient to a temperature in a range between 37° C. and 60° C.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the generating of the time-varying magnetic field further comprises discharging an energy storage device having a capacitance in a range between 5 nF and 100 mF.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of providing the first treatment further comprises:

discharging energy from an energy storage device with a charge of at least 100 Volts to the magnetic field generating device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of applying the time-varying magnetic field causes a complete tetanus contraction of the muscle.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of heating comprises applying optical waves with a power flux density in a range of 0.5 W/cm2 to 50 W/cm2 to the patient.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the optical waves include a wavelength in a range between 190 nm and 13000 nm.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating a first burst comprising a first train of magnetic pulses having a first repetition rate;

generating a second burst comprising a second train of magnetic pulses having a second repetition rate; and

generating a third train of magnetic pulses having a third repetition rate,

wherein the first, second, and third repetition rates are each different from each other.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the applicator includes a first portion and a second portion,

wherein the first portion includes a curved segment adapted to contact the patient's skin or clothing within the body region and has a curvature radius in a range between 1 mm and 1 m, and the method further comprises:

placing the first portion of the applicator in contact with the patient's skin or clothing within the body region.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of providing the first treatment further comprises:

placing the applicator proximate to a limb of the patient; and

wherein the step of applying the time-varying magnetic field causes a contraction of a muscle selected from a group consisting of a biceps femoris muscle, a semitendinosus muscle, a vastus lateralis muscle, a gluteus maximus muscle, a gluteus medius muscle, a gluteus minimus muscle, a rectus abdominis muscle, an external oblique muscle, or an internal oblique muscle.

19. A method for treating a patient, the method comprising:

switching a switching device to provide a current pulse to a magnetic field generating device having a total surface in a range of 5 cm2 to 8000 cm2 disposed in a first applicator;

generating, by the magnetic field generating device, a time-varying magnetic field with a plurality of magnetic pulses having a repetition rate in a range between 1 Hz and 300 Hz, a magnetic flux density in a range between 0.5 Tesla and 7 Tesla, and an impulse frequency in a range between 1 kHz and 900 kHz;

modulating the plurality of magnetic pulses into a first burst comprising a first train of magnetic pulses having a first repetition rate;

modulating the plurality of magnetic pulses into a second burst comprising a second train of magnetic pulses having a second repetition rate; and

modulating the plurality of magnetic pulses into a third train of magnetic pulses having a third repetition rate, wherein the first, second, and third repetition rates are each different from each other;

applying the plurality of magnetic pulses to muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within a body region of the patient such that a muscle is caused to contract, wherein the body region is selected from a group consisting of a buttock, a thigh, a hip, an abdomen or an arm of the patient;

providing a first visual indicator of a treatment parameter by a user interface disposed on the first applicator;

generating a first plurality of optical waves in a range between 400 nm and 600 nm by a first optical waves generating device disposed in the first applicator; and

emitting the first plurality of optical waves to the patient.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

generating, by a second magnetic field generating device, a second time-varying magnetic field with a plurality of second magnetic pulses having a repetition rate in a range between 1 Hz and 300 Hz, a magnetic flux density in a range between 0.5 Tesla and 7 Tesla, and an impulse frequency in a range between 1 kHz and 900 kHz,

wherein the second magnetic field generating device includes a total surface in a range of 5 cm2 to 8000 cm2 and is disposed in a second applicator;

wherein the time varying magnetic fields generated by the first and second magnetic field generating devices are generated simultaneously and are applied to different locations within the body region.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprises:

providing a second visual indicator of a treatment parameter by a user interface disposed on the second applicator;

generating a second plurality of optical waves in a range between 400 nm and 600 nm by a second optical waves generating device disposed in the second applicator; and

emitting the second plurality of optical waves to the patient.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprises:

attaching the applicator to the patient's skin or clothing by a belt.

23. A method for causing at least one of muscle toning, muscle hypertrophy, or muscle hyperplasia of a patient using a first treatment and a second treatment with a treatment device including a first applicator and a second applicator, the method comprising:

providing a first treatment by:

placing the first applicator including a first magnetic field generating device proximate to a body region of the patient, wherein the body region includes at least one of a buttock, a thigh, a hip, an abdomen, or an arm of the patient;

switching a first switching device to provide energy from a first energy storage device to the first magnetic field generating device;

generating, by the first magnetic field generating device, a time-varying magnetic field with a magnetic flux density in a range between 0.1 Tesla and 7 Tesla and a plurality of magnetic pulses;

modulating the plurality of magnetic pulses of the time-varying magnetic field into a first train of magnetic pulses and a second train of magnetic pulses, wherein each of the first and second trains of magnetic pulses has a repetition rate in a range between 1 Hz and 300 Hz and wherein a number of magnetic pulses in the second train is different than a number of magnetic pulses in the first train; and

applying the first and second trains of magnetic pulses to muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within the body region of the patient such that a muscle is caused to contract;

providing a second treatment by:

placing the second applicator proximate to the body region of the patient, the second applicator including at least one of an optical waves generating device, a radiofrequency electrode, or an ultrasound waves generating element;

generating at least one of optical waves by the optical waves generating device, radiofrequency waves by the radiofrequency electrode, or ultrasound waves by the ultrasound waves generating element;

applying at least one of the optical waves, radiofrequency waves, or ultrasound waves to patient's skin within the body region of the patient to heat adipose cells in the body region of the patient.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

placing a third applicator including a second magnetic field generating device proximate to the body region of the patient;

switching a second switching device to provide energy from a second energy storage device to the second magnetic field generating device; and

generating, by the second magnetic field generating device, a second time-varying magnetic field with a magnetic flux density in a range between 0.1 Tesla and 7 Tesla and a second plurality of magnetic pulses; and

applying the second pulses to the muscle fibers, neuromuscular plates, or peripheral nerves innervating muscle fibers within the body region of the patient such that a muscle is caused to contract.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the step of providing the first treatment further comprises:

replacing the first applicator with a fourth applicator including a third magnetic field generating device.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein each of the first and third applicators comprises a connecting tube connected to a source of fluid.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of applying the first and second trains of magnetic pulses causes intramuscular fat decrease.

28. The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of modulating further comprises:

establishing a plurality of bursts, each said burst including one of the first and second trains of magnetic pulses and a passive time period without generating a magnetic field that is configured to cause muscle contraction by the patient,

wherein the passive time period follows the one of the first and second trains of magnetic pulses.

29. The method of claim 23 , wherein the first train of magnetic pulses differs from the second train of magnetic pulses by at least one treatment parameter selected from a group consisting of the magnetic flux density, the repetition rate of the magnetic pulses, the number of pulses, a train duration, and an impulse duration.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (24)