Patent ID: 8382672

Claim:
A method for treating a patient, the patient having a tissue subject to injury, the method comprising: transmitting low frequency ultrasound energy from a transducer to the tissue; the energy being transmitted to the tissue during a treatment time period with a treatment energy level per a first duty cycle and a second duty cycle; the first duty cycle having a first repetition frequency and the second duty cycle having a repetition frequency different than the first duty cycle; the second duty cycle being superimposed on the first duty cycle; and the treatment time period and energy level being sufficient to mitigate the injury to the tissue; wherein the first repetition frequency defines a plurality of first duty cycle time periods during the treatment time period, the transducer being energized during a portion of each first time period per the first duty cycle throughout a portion of the treatment time period; the second repetition frequency defining a plurality of second duty cycle time periods during the treatment time period, the transducer being selectively energized during a portion of each second time period; the energized portions of the second time periods are sufficiently longer than the first time periods so that during the energized portion of each second time period the energizing of the transducer repeatedly cycles per the first duty cycle.