Spinal cord stimulator device and methods of manufacture and use thereof

A method of manufacturing a spinal cord stimulator device, comprising:

• providing an implantation paddle, the implantation paddle including at least one pair of electrode stimulation pads, each of the electrode stimulation pads connected to ends of separate thin film electrode leads, wherein the electrode stimulation pads and the thin film electrode leads are sandwiched between softening polymer layers;
• connecting one end of insulated wire leads to contact pads of the opposite ends of each one of the thin film electrode leads by forming separated coupling joints;
• and
• encompassing portions of the thin film electrode leads and portions of the insulated wire leads in the vicinity of the coupling joints with an encapsulant, wherein the softening polymer layers are composed of polymers formed from combinations of monomers functionalized with acrylates, thiol-enes, thiol-ene or acrylates, and having a glassy modulus in a range from about 1 to 3 GPa at room temperature in an air environment and a rubbery plateau in a range from about 100 MPa to 0.03 MPa at about 37° in an aqueous environment.

A method of spinal cord stimulation, comprising:

• passing an implantation paddle of a spinal cord stimulator device between two vertebrae of a spinal cord, wherein:
• the implantation paddle includes at least one pair of electrode stimulation pads, each of the electrode stimulation pads connected to ends of separate thin film electrode leads, wherein the electrode stimulation pads and the thin film electrode leads are sandwiched between softening polymer layers, and
• the spinal cord stimulator device further includes:
• a connection segment including insulated wire leads, wherein one end of each of the wire leads is electrically connected to contact pads on opposite ends of each one of the thin film leads at separated coupling joints;
• and
• an encapsulant encompassing portions of the implantation paddle, including encompassing portions of the softening polymer layers surrounding the contact pads, the coupling joints and portions of the connection segment including portions of the wire leads next to the coupling joints;
• and
• inserting the implantation paddle into an epidural or a subdural space between the spinal cord and the vertebra, wherein a long axis of the implanted implantation paddle is aligned with a long dimension of the spinal cord, and after implantation, the two softening polymer layers soften and wrap around part of a circumference of the spinal cord.