Patent ID: 8065014

Claim:
A method for promoting selective reinnervation of one or more denervated target muscles in a subject comprising: stimulating one or more target muscles with a pattern of electrical, magnetic, or a combination of electrical and magnetic stimulatory activity selected to selectively enhance reinnervation of the one or more denervated target muscles by native neurons and inhibit reinnervation of the one or more denervated target muscles by foreign neurons; wherein the pattern of stimulatory activity comprises a magnitude, frequency, and duration of stimulatory activity in the one or more denervated target muscles that is substantially similar to the magnitude, frequency, and duration of stimulatory activity in the one or more denervated target muscles prior to denervation, wherein the pattern of stimulating activity is tailored to a particular muscle; wherein stimulating the one or more denervated target muscles comprises intermittently providing a stimulus to at least a portion of the one or more denervated target muscles and turning off the stimulus to the one or more denervated target muscles with a duty cycle of less than 10%, the one or more denervated target muscles being inactive when the stimulus is turned off; and removing the stimulus to the one or more denervated target muscles after function is restored to the one or more denervated target muscles.