Individual nerve fibre selective blocking method and appliance

摘要

The method involves cooling the nerve to a temperature below that of the body. This impedes or blocks the excitation conductivity of the myelinated (medullated, thick) nerve fibres whilst the non-myelinated (non-medullated, thin) nerve fibres remain conductive. At least almost simultaneously with the cooling process the nerves are subjected to stimulation. The nerve can be cooled to a temperature below 15 deg C preferably to 7 deg C. The stimulation can be by the application of electrical pulses.