Patent ID: 8897870

Claim:
A method of stimulating nerve tissue of a patient using an implantable pulse generator, the method comprising: generating, by the implantable pulse generator, a burst stimulus that comprises a repeating pattern of a plurality of groups of pulses, wherein the burst stimulus is substantially quiescent between each adjacent group of pulses, wherein pulses within each group of pulses are repeated at a pulse rate of approximately 500 Hz and groups of pulses within the plurality of groups are repeated at approximately 40 Hz, wherein the burst stimulus is adapted to repetitively cause a group of stimulated neurons to experience a rise above a resting electrical potential to a reference potential, to be maintained at or above the reference potential for a duration of multiple pulses of a respective group of pulses, and to experience spiking from the multiple pulses of the respective group of pulses; providing the burst stimulus from the implantable pulse generator to a medical lead; and treating chronic pain in the patient by applying the burst stimulus to afferent somatosensory fibers of the dorsal column the patient via one or several electrodes of the medical lead.