Handbook

Patient Trial Handbook

Overview: The Trial Journal

All trials or tryouts require careful record keeping of times or scores, and your SCS trial is no

exception. In order for you and your doctor to decide to move on to the next step—a permanent

implant— you’ll both need a way to review the details of each of your SCS trial days. The easiest

way to do that is with the help of a journal. Your journal, which can be found at the back of this

manual, consists of the following:

Pain Profile

You may think of the Pain Profile as a way to make a starting point for this trial and for the journal.

The simple questions you answer here will establish a detailed, personal description of your pain

condition. The profile includes a simple graph called a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), commonly used

to measure the before-and-after pain levels of SCS trial patients. You may have completed a VAS

before in your doctor’s office or at a clinic. Once your VAS score is marked, it becomes an important

tool for determining your progress at the end of the trial.

The Journal

Seven log pages are included in your journal. We suggest that you begin keeping the log starting

with the first full day following your surgery. An explanation of the columns follows: