Pain management model
OwnerMarshall James Neyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A model for demonstrating referred pain. A human cranium and jaw are jointed to show a temporomandibular joint and tensionable connectors show muscles such as a trapezius muscle, neck muscle and jaw muscle. Tension can be regulated to demonstrate the effect on muscle stress and subsequent pain when the temporomandibular joint is in central relation or is out of central relation with the teeth maintained in central occlusion. The model allows a patient, student or clinician to visualize and demonstrate the concept of muscle tension resulting from jaw position and referred pain. A method and apparatus is disclosed.
Claims17
A model of a human head comprising a base, a neck supported on the base, a cranium, hinge means for pivotally joining the cranium to the neck, and a jaw movably connected to the cranium at a joint simulating a temporomandibular joint, the model having
- least a first tensionable connector connecting the cranium and the base, the first tensionable connector simulating a relaxed or contracted state of a trapezius muscle
- at least a second tensionable connector connecting the cranium and the jaw, the second tensionable connector simulating a relaxed or contracted state of a jaw muscle, and
- at least a third tensionable connector connecting the cranium and the base, the third tensionable connector simulating a relaxed or contracted state of a side neck muscle, for demonstrating conditions between the cranium, the jaw, and the muscles and
- a space between members of said hinge that forms an angle.
A method for demonstrating a pain source comprising
- providing a model of a human head simulating a cranium containing teeth, a neck supported on a base, hinge means for pivotally joining the cranium to the neck, a simulated jaw connected to said cranium at a joint simulating a temporomandibular joint and said jaw containing lower teeth,
- tensionably connecting the cranium to the base to simulate a relaxed or contracted state of a trapezius muscle and a side neck muscle,
- tensionably connecting the cranium to the jaw to simulate a relaxed or contracted state of a jaw muscle,
- tensionably connecting the cranium and jaw to the base to simulate a relaxed or contracted state of a neck muscle, and
- varying the position of the jaw to demonstrate resulting head movement and muscle tension to demonstrate the pain source.
A method for demonstrating alleviation of referred pain from a pain source comprising
- providing a model of a human head simulating a cranium containing teeth, a neck supported on a base, hinge means for pivotally joining the cranium to the neck, a simulated jaw connected to said cranium at a joint simulating a temporomandibular joint and said jaw containing lower teeth,
- tensionably connecting the cranium to the base to simulate relaxed or contracted states of a trapezius muscle and a side neck muscle,
- tensionably connecting the cranium to the jaw to simulate a relaxed or contracted state of a jaw muscle,
- tensionably connecting the cranium and jaw to the base to simulate a relaxed or a contracted state of a neck muscle,
- varying the position of the jaw to demonstrate resulting head movement and muscle tension to demonstrate the pain source, and
- inserting a splint between said teeth in said jaw and said cranium to demonstrate resulting head movement and the alleviation of referred pain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.