Patent ID: 8086317

Claim:
A method of treating chronic discogenic pain in a patient, the method comprising: advancing an introducer into the patient from a site proximate to a facet joint of the patient to a site that is directly adjacent to a disc of the patient; advancing a stimulation lead with a plurality of electrodes through the introducer device; steering the stimulation lead, using a stiffening stylet, while advancing the stimulation lead out of the introducer device to follow a path within the patient that generally follows a path directly about or within the disc of the patient; coupling the stimulation lead to an implantable pulse generator; testing a plurality of stimulation parameters to identify a stimulation pattern for the patient optimal to treat chronic discogenic pain of the patient; and operating the implantable pulse generator, according to the optimal stimulation pattern, over at least multiple days to generate electrical pulses for delivery to tissue of the patient to treat said chronic discogenic pain of the patient.