Nerve stimulation as a treatment for pain

A method of treating patients suffering from chronic or persistent pain, comprising the steps of:

• selectively applying a therapeutic stimulation signal from a stimulus generator, when activated, to one or more electrodes implanted in stimulating relation to the patient's trigeminal nerve, and activating the stimulus generator to generate said therapeutic stimulation signal to alleviate the pain under treatment.

A method of treating patients suffering from chronic or persistent pain, comprising the steps of:

• selectively applying a therapeutic stimulation signal from a stimulus generator, when activated, to one or more electrodes implanted in stimulating relation to the patient's glossopharyngeal nerve, and
• activating the stimulus generator to generate said therapeutic stimulation signal to alleviate the pain under treatment.

A method of treating patients suffering from chronic or persistent pain, comprising the steps of:

• selectively applying a therapeutic stimulation signal from a stimulus generator, when activated, to at least one electrode implanted in stimulating relation to the patient's vagus nerve at one of a supra-diaphragmatic or a sub-diaphragmatic site, and
• activating the stimulus generator to generate said therapeutic stimulation signal to alleviate the pain under treatment.

Apparatus for treating patients suffering from chronic or persistent pain, comprising:

• an implantable stimulus generator for selectively applying, when activated, a therapeutic stimulation signal to at least some electrodes of plural leads electrically coupled to said stimulus generator, including plural receptacles of said generator for receiving said plural leads, said plural electrodes adapted to be implanted in stimulating relation to at least two nerves among the patient's trigeminal, vagus, glossopharyngeal and sympathetic nerves, and
• means for activating the stimulus generator to generate said therapeutic stimulation signal for application to implanted ones of the plural electrodes to alleviate the pain under treatment.