Glove for electro-massage therapy

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an electrode glove 10 according to the invention.
The electrode glove 10 includes a shell 20 formed of a flexible elastomeric material such as latex rubber which is also electrically insulating.
Substantially all of the palmar surface 30 of the glove including the surfaces 40 of the fingers and thumb are covered with a thin layer of an electrically conductive but nonmetallic, flexible material which constitutes an electrode 50.
A connector 60 formed of the same material extends from one end of the electrode 50 preferably at the heel of the hand.
The connector 60 is integral with the electrode 50 and includes one or more small holes 70 formed to accept the male connectors 72 on the lead wires 74a, 74b of a TENS unit 80.
The electrode 50 is fabricated from a thin layer of an elastomeric material such as carbonized rubber or carbonized silicone.
An example of a suitable material is that manufactured and sold by Dow Corning under the name "Silastic".
The electrode 50 is applied to the shell 20 with a proper adhesive or it may be deposited as a coating.
The TENS unit 80 is a small, portable, battery operated device which emits biphasic pulses having zero net direct current.
The amplitudes of the pulses can be up to sixty milliamps with durations of up to 500 microseconds and pulse rates of up to 200 hertz.
The current emitted by TENS units which are powered by higher voltages, for example 220 volt AC, can be much greater than those previously described.
For example, one type of AC powered TENS unit known as a high voltage pulsed galvanic stimulator (HVPGS), is capable of emitting pulses of up to 500 volts.
Another type of TENS unit known as the Russian Faradic Unit, can emit pulses at rates up to 2000 hertz.
A special class of TENS unit known as a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) unit, is a battery operated unit which is specifically designed to elicit timed cyclical contractions to strengthen muscles or prevent atrophy from disuse