Handbook

Introduction
1
Introduction
Welcome to the “Trial Phase” of the Advanced Bionics® Precision™ pain management program.
You’re about to test a pain treatment therapy that could result in a dramatic change in your life and
your lifestyle. The trial you’ve agreed to participate in is intended to give you and your physician a
chance to evaluate spinal cord stimulation (SCS) as an appropriate and effective long-term therapy
option for your chronic pain.
At the end of the trial period (approximately one week) you and your physician will meet to discuss
your experience with spinal cord stimulation. The doctor will also want to explore your feelings
about a permanent SCS implant so that, together, both of you can determine whether long-term
treatment with spinal cord stimulation is an appropriate option for you. To prepare yourself for this
important decision, you may want to spend at least some of the trial period carefully evaluating
spinal cord stimulation.
Contraindications: Patients who fail to receive pain relief during stimulation, do not meet
psychological selection criteria, are poor surgical risks or are pregnant cannot be implanted
with the permanent device.
What is Spinal Cord Stimulation?
Most pain signals travel from the source problem or injury area to nerve pathways to the spine, then
up the spine and to the brain. SCS uses electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to block the