System and method for spinal cord stimulation to treat motor disorders
View Patent ↗A method for using spinal cord stimulation to treat symptoms of motor disorders includes implanting a stimulation lead within a ventral portion of the epidural space. The lead is implanted with at least a portion of the electrodes facing the spinal cord. In a method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a motor disorder, electrical stimulation energy is applied to at least one ventral column nerve fiber through the implanted stimulation lead. A peripheral region of the patient's body exhibits the symptoms of the motor disorder, and the ventral column nerve fiber to which the stimulation is applied innervates that peripheral region.
1. A method for of performing a medical procedure on a patient suffering from a motor disorder, the method using a stimulation lead having at least one electrode, the method comprising:
introducing a stimulation lead having at least one electrode within a ventral portion of an epidural space of the patient;
facing at least a portion of the at least one electrode toward a spinal cord of the patient; and
affixing the lead within the patient, such that the portion of the at least one electrode faces the spinal cord.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead is affixed parallel to the spinal cord.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead is a paddle lead and the at least one electrode comprises a plurality of electrodes disposed on the same side of the paddle lead.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor disorder affects a peripheral region of the patient, and wherein the lead is affixed such that the at least one electrode is located at an area of the spinal cord having a ventral column nerve fiber that innervates the peripheral region.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead is a cylindrical lead and the at least one electrode comprises a plurality of radially segmented electrodes.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead is a cylindrical lead and the at least one electrode comprises a plurality of ring electrodes.
7. A method for providing therapy to a patient suffering from a motor disorder using at least one electrode implanted within a ventral portion of an epidural space of the patient, the method comprising:
applying electrical stimulation energy to at least one ventral column nerve fiber of the patient, thereby treating symptoms of the motor disorder.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the applied electrical stimulation energy inhibits nerve impulses traveling from the patient's brain to a peripheral region exhibiting the symptoms of the motor disorder.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the motor disorder affects a peripheral region of the patient, and wherein the at least one ventral column nerve fiber innervates the peripheral region.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the electrical stimulation energy is applied at a frequency above 100 Hz.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the electrical stimulation energy is applied at a pulse width of less than 20 μs.