Practice Parameters for the Use of Spinal Cord Stimulation in the Treatment of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

Financial Disclosure

Dr. North received no funding or salary support for his contribution to this project.  Ms. Shipley received funding from The North American Neuromodulation Society and The Neuromodulation Therapy Access Coalition, both of which receive support from the manufacturers of SCS technology.  Some Neuromodulation Therapy Access Coalition members are employed by these manufacturers, as is disclosed in the list of contributors.  All other members are disclosing any support from the SCS manufacturers.  Ms. Shipley's continued effort on this project is supported through a grant from The Neuromodulation Therapy Access Coalition to her current employer, The Neuromodulation Foundation, Incorporated.
While coalition members have contributed their expertise to this project, neither the views nor the special interests of the SCS manufacturers have influenced the information presented in this document.  The work of Dr. North and Ms. Shipley in compiling and editing this document is independent of industry influence.  This statement, while straightforward, is, of course, impossible to prove.  Indeed, one of the outside reviewers of this document conflated industry involvement with industry influence.  Our submission of this document to and publication in Pain Medicine, a journal that follows the peer-review process, which is designed to identify bias, signals that we have taken every step possible to ensure that the presentation of these practice parameters is balanced and based on clinical reality as well as on information gained from the results of clinical trials.