Catheters including bend indicators, catheter assemblies including such catheters and related methods

A method of inserting a catheter having a bent distal end into a subject proximate the subject's nervous system, the method comprising:

• providing a catheter assembly to an end user, wherein a distal portion of a tubular member for supplying a treatment to the subject of the catheter assembly is in a substantially unbent configuration, the catheter including at least two bend indicators comprising a first bend indicator and a second bend indicator;
• inserting a stylet at least partially into the catheter assembly;
• after inserting the stylet at least partially into the tubular member, bending, by the end user, at least the distal portion of the tubular member of the catheter assembly at the first bend indicator or at the second bend indicator, wherein each bend indicator of the at least two bend indicators is located at a select distance from a tip of the catheter assembly to provide a respective reference point for the end user to bend the distal portion of the catheter assembly, the bending further comprising plastically deforming the stylet within the tubular member to reinforce the bent distal portion of the tubular member;
• and
• after bending the at least the distal portion of the tubular member and plastically deforming the stylet within the tubular member, inserting, by the end user, the at least a portion of the catheter assembly into the patient into the cervical or upper thoracic region of the patient's spine for administration of an analgesic if the catheter assembly was bent at the first bend indicator or into the lumbar or sacral region of the patent's spine for administration of the analgesic if the catheter assembly was bent at the second bend indicator.