# US 8,788,046 B2 · Systems and methods for the treatment of pain through neural fiber stimulation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,788,046 B2 - Document ID: US8788046B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/309,024 - Filed: 2011-12-01 - Published: 2012-12-06 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-11 - Assignees: Spr Therapeutics, Inc. - Applicants: Maria E. Bennett; Joseph W. Boggs, II; Warren M. Grill; John Chae - Inventors: Maria E. Bennett; Joseph W. Boggs, II; Warren M. Grill; John Chae - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788046B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/36071: {Pain} - A61N 1/36003: {of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance} - A61N 1/36017: {with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin} - A61N 1/36021: {for treatment of pain} - A61N 1/36057: {adapted for stimulating afferent nerves} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for the treatment of pain through activation of select neural fibers. The neural fibers may comprise one or more afferent neural fibers and/or one or more efferent neural fibers. If afferent fibers are stimulated, alone or in combination with efferent fibers, a therapeutically effective amount of electrical stimulation is applied to activate afferent pathways in a manner approximating natural afferent activity. The afferent fibers may be associated with primary receptors of muscle spindles, golgi tendon organs, secondary receptors of muscle spindles, joint receptors, touch receptors, and other types of mechanoreceptors and/or proprioceptors. If efferent fibers are stimulated, alone or in combination with afferent fibers, a therapeutically effective amount of electrical stimulation is applied to activate intrafusal and/or extrafusal muscle fibers, which results in an indirect activation of afferent fibers associated therewith. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising the step of: electrically stimulating target efferent nerve fibers through an electrode inserted in-vivo to generate an action potential in the target efferent nerve fibers to active muscle fibers while avoiding generation of action potentials in non-target Type III and IV nerve fibers in an animal to reduce a perception of pain by the animal, through activation of the target efferent nerve fibers wherein the target efferent nerve fibers are located outside a central nervous system of the animal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the animal is a human. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the target efferent nerve fibers are located between a neurological motor point and the central nervous system of the human. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, wherein the target efferent nerve fibers comprise motor axons. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4, wherein the motor axons comprise Aα axons. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of activating extrafusal muscle fibers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4, wherein the motor axons comprise Aγ axons. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of activating intrafusal muscle fibers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of activating afferent nerve fibers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, wherein the afferent nerve fibers innervate neural receptors. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein the neural receptors are proprioceptors. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of activating afferent nerve fibers results from a transduction of a physiological response to the step of electrically stimulating the target efferent nerve fibers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein the physiological response is a contraction of muscle fibers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, wherein the muscle fibers are extrafusal muscle fibers. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) A method according to claim 13, wherein the muscle fibers are intrafusal muscle fibers. ### Claim 16 A method of reducing a perception of pain by an animal of a hypersensitized portion of the animal nervous system, the method comprising the step of: applying electrical stimulation to a least a portion of the nervous system through an electrode inserted in-vivo to generate an action potential in a target efferent nerve fiber to active muscle fibers while avoiding generation of an action potential in a non-target Type III and IV nerve fibers causing a reduction of perception of pain by the animal, wherein the applying step is performed for a predetermined treatment time, and further wherein the reduction of perception of pain occurs at least partially during the treatment time and at least a portion of the reduction of perception of pain is maintained after the end of the predetermined treatment time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method according to claim 16, wherein the animal is a human and the portion of the nervous system comprises efferent nerve fibers located neurologically between and outside a neurological motor point and a central nervous system of the human. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulation of the target efferent nerve fibers is bidirectional. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the target efferent nerve fibers are located outside a neurological motor point.