For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 19, 1998
Contact: Diane Giaccone
(215) 662-2098
[email protected]
PENN PHYSICIAN DEVELOPS AUTOMATED NERVE/MUSCLE STIMULATOR TO TREAT NECK AND BACK PAIN
Novel Battery-Powered Device Eliminates Need for Manual Stimulation of Nerves and Muscles to Treat Chronic Pain
(Philadelphia, PA) -- With chronic back pain as the second most common reason to see a doctor in the United States, it's no surprise that physicians are constantly challenged by treating this and others types of pain. Exclusively at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, patients can now seek pain relief through a revolutionary new technique -- Automated Twitch-Obtaining Intramuscular Stimulation (ATOIMS(tm)) -- the first of its kind ever made available.
Jennifer Chu, MD, associate professor and director of the Electrodiagnosis Laboratory of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department, has developed a technique to treat nerve-related localized and widespread pain from injury or aging with the use of a battery-powered, automated device that directly treats the irritated nerve roots and spasmed muscles that maintain painful conditions. ATOIMS is the automated version of twitch-obtaining intramuscular stimulation (TOIMS) -- clinically-proven to provide pain relief for soft-tissue pain that originates in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and areas surrounding bones. In essence, the twitching mechanism relaxes tight, spasmed muscles, allowing blood to flow more freely and calm irritated nerves.
With her pioneering technique, Dr. Chu inserts fine Teflon(r) pins deep into the muscle and motor end-plate zones (the nerves that stimulate muscles to contract and produce movement) where irritated nerve fibers and shortened muscle fibers that cause pain are found. The insertion of the pins into these trigger points and repeated oscillating movements cause the muscle fibers to automatically twitch. Simultaneously, the twitching breaks the shortening of the muscle fibers by exercising them, permitting the muscle fibers to relax. With this relaxation, the sustained contraction of these areas is reduced and self-healing is initiated.
Previously, the labor-intensive technique was done by hand, however, Dr. Chu is now utilizing a newly-created automated tool to perform TOIMS, producing the same, if not better, effect. "ATOIMS is faster, more precise, and less taxing, " explains Dr. Chu. "It's a combination of 21st-century technology and ancient healing tradition that exceeds the limitations of modern medicine."
Dr. Chu's innovative approach is best used for aging conditions and/or traumatic conditions -- athletic injuries, whiplash, unprotected falls, and lifting injuries -- that irritate nerve roots. Irritated nerve roots signal the muscles to shorten and spasm, causing the nerves and blood vessels to compress and pull on the tendons, bones, joints, and ligaments. The result is discomfort and pain. ATOIMS has no side effects and causes no damage to the nerves. Unlike acupuncture, the technique is precise, targeting trigger points where nerve fibers meet muscle fibers that supply feedback to the spinal cord. The automated tool was designed to penetrate the skin more rapidly and to allow the pin to be injected and retracted three times at the same position.
Dr. Chu developed the original TOIMS technique, and, presented her research findings at the American Academy Meeting of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in November, 1997. Her abstracts were published in the September, 1997, edition of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation -- a peer-reviewed journal. The ATOIMS device is patent pending and has been given special FDA approval for custom use. In addition, it has been approved for clinical and research use.
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Editor's Note: Dr. Jennifer Chu can be reached directly by calling (215) 349-5598. Select patients are also available for interview upon request.
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