Pulsating pressure chamber and method for enhanced blood flow

An apparatus for providing positive and negative pressure to a portion of a body for the purpose of improving blood flow in that portion of the body, the apparatus comprising:

• means for applying pressure to a portion of the body;
• means for distributing applied pressure over the portion of the body;
• and
• means for controlling pressure being applied to the portion of the body.

An apparatus for providing positive and negative pressure to a portion of a body for the purpose of improving blood flow in that portion of the body, the apparatus comprising:

• a pressure patch configured to generally conform to a portion of the body, the pressure patch adapted to cover a discrete surface area of the portion of the body;
• a liner adapted to be interposed between the surface area of the portion of the body and the pressure patch with the flexible liner sized to cover a greater area of the body than the portion of the body under the pressure patch, the pressure patch sealing to the flexible liner;
• and
• a pressure control device including a source of positive pressure and a source of negative pressure, the pressure control device operably connected to the pressure patch to provide positive and negative pressure to the portion of the body covered by the pressure patch in a predetermined, controlled manner.

A method of enhancing blood flow in a portion of a body, the method comprising the steps of:

• covering a portion of the body with a liner;
• applying positive and negative pressure to the liner, the liner conveying the applied pressure to the portion of the body;
• and
• controlling the applied pressure.