Extended pain relief via high frequency spinal cord modulation, and associated systems and methods
View Patent ↗Extended pain relief via high frequency spinal cord modulation, and associated systems and methods. A method for treating a patient in accordance with a particular embodiment includes selecting a neural modulation site to include at least one of a dorsal root entry zone and dorsal horn of the patient's spinal cord, and selecting parameters of a neural modulation signal to reduce patient pain for a period of time after ceasing delivery of the signals, the period of time being at least one tenth of one second.
1. A method of treating pain in a patient, comprising:
applying to a dorsal horn of the patient a non-paresthesia-producing neural modulation signal having a signal frequency in a frequency range of from 1.5 kHz to 100 kHz, to thereby desensitize one or more wide dynamic range neurons in the dorsal horn.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein applying includes applying the neural modulation signal via an implanted signal delivery device.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising implanting the signal delivery device in the patient's epidural space.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal is, on a repeated basis, (a) automatically deactivated for a period of at least one second and (b) automatically reactivated at the conclusion of the period.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal is, on a repeated basis, (a) automatically deactivated for a period of at least one minute and (b) automatically reactivated at the conclusion of the period.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal is, on a repeated basis, (a) automatically deactivated for a period of at least one hour and (b) automatically reactivated at the conclusion of the period.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal is, on a repeated basis, (a) automatically deactivated for a period of at least one day and (b) automatically reactivated at the conclusion of the period.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal reduces neural transmissions entering the spinal cord at the patient's dorsal root, dorsal root entry zone, or both.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising implanting a signal delivery device in the patient's epidural space and applying the neural modulation signal to a target location without undergoing a trial and error mapping process to identify which, of multiple contacts carried by the signal delivery device, the neural modulation signal is to be directed to in order to apply the neural modulation signal to the target location.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising implanting a signal delivery device in the patient's epidural space and applying the neural modulation signal to a target location without undergoing a paresthesia mapping process to identify which, of multiple contacts carried by the signal delivery device, the neural modulation signal is to be directed to in order to apply the neural modulation signal to the target location.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 1.5 kHz to 50 kHz.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 20 kHz.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 15 kHz.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 5 kHz to 15 kHz.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 10 kHz.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of from 0.1 mA to 20 mA.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of from 0.5 mA to 10 mA.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 25 microseconds to 166 microseconds.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 33 microseconds to 100 microseconds.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 50 microseconds to 166 microseconds.
22. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency range is from 5 kHz to 15 kHz, and wherein the signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds, and wherein the signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of 0.5 mA to 10 mA.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein the therapy is applied in sequential packets of pulses.
24. A method of treating pain in a patient, comprising:
applying to a dorsal horn of the patient a non-paresthesia-producing neural modulation signal having:
a signal frequency in a frequency range of from 5 kHz to 15 kHz,
a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds, and
an amplitude in an amplitude range of 0.5 mA to 10 mA,
to thereby desensitize one or more wide dynamic range neurons in the dorsal horn.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising implanting a signal delivery device in the patient's epidural space and applying the neural modulation signal to a target location without undergoing a trial and error mapping process to identify which, of multiple contacts carried by the signal delivery device, the neural modulation signal is to be directed to in order to apply the neural modulation signal to the target location.
26. The method of claim 24 , further comprising implanting a signal delivery device in the patient's epidural space and applying the neural modulation signal to a target location without undergoing a paresthesia mapping process to identify which, of multiple contacts carried by the signal delivery device, the neural modulation signal is to be directed to in order to apply the neural modulation signal to the target location.
27. A method of treating pain in a patient, comprising:
programming a pulse generator to generate a non-paresthesia-producing neural modulation signal having a signal frequency in a frequency range of from 1.5 kHz to 100 kHz; and
delivering the neural modulation signal to a dorsal horn of the patient via an implanted signal delivery device, thereby desensitizing one or more wide dynamic range neurons in the dorsal horn.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 5 kHz to 15 kHz, and wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds, and wherein the neural modulation signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of 0.5 mA to 10 mA.
29. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal is applied in sequential packets of pulses.
30. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal is, on a repeated basis, (a) automatically deactivated for a period of at least one second and (b) automatically reactivated at the conclusion of the period.
31. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 1.5 kHz to 50 kHz.
32. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 20 kHz.
33. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 15 kHz.
34. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 5 kHz to 15 kHz.
35. The method of claim 27 wherein the frequency range is from 3 kHz to 10 kHz.
36. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of from 0.1 mA to 20 mA.
37. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of from 0.5 mA to 10 mA.
38. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds.
39. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 25 microseconds to 166 microseconds.
40. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 33 microseconds to 100 microseconds.
41. The method of claim 27 wherein the neural modulation signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of from 50 microseconds to 166 microseconds.