Spinal cord stimulation method to treat lateral neural tissues

A method assisting a person having spinal cord neural tissue with a dorsal column, the person also having a plurality of dorsal root entry zones, an epidural space, and dura mater, the person also having a normal vertebral foramen and a plurality of pedicles, the method comprising:

• providing a flexible therapy array having a substrate supporting one or more continuous conductive elements, each of the conductive elements including a stimulation contact, a wire-receiving proximal contact, and an interconnect between the stimulation contact and the wire-receiving proximal contact, the stimulation contact configured to stimulate spinal cord neural tissue and/or dorsal roots, the continuous conductive element formed such that there are no joints connecting (1) the interconnect to the wire-receiving proximal contact, and (2) the interconnect to the stimulation contact, at least one of the plurality of stimulation contacts configured to be independently stimulated relative to the other stimulation contacts, the substrate configured to be flexible and further having a prescribed thickness;
• implanting the flexible therapy array laterally in the epidural space adjacent to the pedicle with a stimulation contact adjacent to one or both of the dorsal column and the dorsal root entry zone of a first dorsal root, the flexible therapy array also being within the normal vertebral foramen at one or more vertebral levels,
• the substrate of the flexible therapy array configured to be conformable to the dura mater after said implanting,
• the substrate having a prescribed thickness of between 0.1 mm and 1.2 mm to implant adjacent to the pedicle within the epidural space, the continuous conductive element accounting for between 10 um and 150 um of the prescribed thickness.

A method of assisting a person having spinal cord neural tissue including a plurality of ascending dorsal column fibers and dorsal roots protected by a dura mater and cerebrospinal fluid, the surrounding tissue forming an epidural space, the person also having at least two pedicles and a vertebral foramen, the method comprising:

• providing an electrode array having a substrate supporting at least one continuous conductive element defined by a stimulation contact, a wire-receiving contact, and an interconnect between the stimulation contact and the wire-receiving contact, the continuous conductive element formed such that there are no joints connecting (1) the interconnect to the wire-receiving proximal contact, and (2) the interconnect to the stimulation contact,
• the stimulation contact configured to stimulate at least a portion of the spinal cord neural tissue, the substrate having a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 1.5 mm, and the continuous conductive element having a thickness of between 10 um and 150 um;
• and
• implanting, in a medically uncompressed manner, the electrode array in the epidural space where a portion of the electrode array is positioned adjacent to at least one pedicle with a stimulation contact adjacent to at least one dorsal root and/or rootlet laterally and/or at least one fasciculi of the dorsal column within the vertebral foramen at one or more vertebral levels.