Stimulator to Quantify Cutaneous Sensation

描述（由申请人提供）：目前使用手动治疗来治疗导致皮肤感觉改变的许多病症。在这种情况下，用于评估手法治疗效果的一种方法是评估治疗前后感觉的任何变化。然而，这通常使用非常不精确的方法来完成。我们建议开发一种计算机控制的机械皮肤刺激器，它将刺激皮肤，并允许定量测定阈值，无论是温和的压痕或疼痛。刺激器将用一组程序操作，所述程序将允许（a）量化特定位置处的感觉丧失或增强的程度，（B）确定受影响区域的物理范围，及（c）确定这些参数随时间的变化。我们建议发展一个包括电脑的系统，受控制的机械刺激器，其将刺激皮肤并允许定量确定轻微压痕或疼痛的阈值。刺激器将与一组程序一起操作，这些程序将允许（a）量化特定位置处的感觉丧失或增强的程度，（B）确定受影响区域的物理范围，以及（c）确定这些参数随时间的变化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Manual therapies are currently used to treat a number of conditions that result in altered cutaneous sensation. One way that has been used to assess the effect of manual therapies in such conditions has been to evaluate any changes in sensation before and after the treatment. However this has typically been done using methods that are quite imprecise. We propose to develop a computer-controlled mechanical cutaneous stimulator that will indent the skin and allow for quantitative determination of the thresholds for either gentle indentation or pain. The stimulator will be operated with a set of programs that will allow for (a) quantifying the degree of sensory loss or enhancement at a particular location, (b) determining the physical extent of the affected area, and (c) determining changes in these parameters over time We propose to develop a system comprising a computer-controlled mechanical stimulator that will indent the skin and allow for quantitative determination of the thresholds for either gentle indentation or pain. The stimulator will be operated with a set of programs that will allow for (a) quantifying the degree of sensory loss or enhancement at a particular location, (b) determining the physical extent of the affected area, and (c) determining changes in these parameters over time.