Devices, systems and methods for treating urological and gastrointestinal disorders by electrical stimulation of the foot

A method of treating a urological or gastrointestinal disorder in a patient, comprising:

• stimulating a patient's foot, through an electrode-containing device comprising:
• a base adapted to cover a portion of a plantar surface of a human foot including a portion of the forefoot overlaying a plurality of branches of the medial or lateral plantar nerves and a portion of the hindfoot overlaying the medial and lateral plantar nerves;
• a cathode electrode attached to the base at a position adapted to the hindfoot to contact skin overlaying the medial and lateral plantar nerves;
• an anode electrode attached to the base at a position adapted to the forefoot to contact skin overlaying a plurality of branches of the medial or lateral plantar nerves in the forefoot, the anode overlaying at least 50% of the width of the plantar surface of the patient's foot at the forefoot;
• and
• first and second electrical leads attached to the anode and cathode electrodes, respectively,
• wherein the patient's foot is stimulated with electrical pulses having a pulsewidth of 0.01-3 ms, at between 1-100 V and 1-100 mA, at a frequency of 1-50 Hz, thereby stimulating either the lateral and/or medial plantar nerves or the dorsal intermediate and medial cutaneous nerves, deep peroneal nerve, sural nerve, and/or saphenous nerves of the patient;
• and
• administering to the patient one or more of:
• an anti-muscarinic compound;
• a serotonin reuptake inhibitor;
• a serotonin receptor antagonist;
• and
• an opioid drug.