a decade of clinical evidence
Hear Dirk De Ridder, M.D., Ph.D., share the inspiration behind BurstDR™ stimulation, the evolution and the decade of clinical evidence.
The story behind the waveform
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The architecture of a novel waveform
The BurstDR™ stimulation story started when Dr. De Ridder asked one question:
“What if spinal cord stimulation could work the way the nervous system already does?”
That architectural insight became the inspiration of BurstDR™ stimulation. A waveform designed to mimic natural firing patterns in the brain.1
HOW BURSTDR™ STIMULATION IS DIFFERENT
Designed for pain and beyond
BurstDR™ stimulation uniquely modulates both the medial and lateral pathways.2-4*
It is clinically-proven to give patients relief from both physical pain2,5-7 and the emotional suffering** associated with pain2,6-7.
TREAT MORE PAIN AREAS WITH FLEXBURST360™ THERAPY
Tailored stimulation
settings for up to six different areas in a single program.8,9
Up to 88% of chronic pain patients experience multi-site pain.10
FlexBurst360™ therapy11-12 was developed13 as the next generation of BurstDR™ stimulation for multi-site and evolving pain***.
Hear Dirk De Ridder, M.D., Ph.D., share the inspiration behind BurstDR™ stimulation, the evolution and the decade of clinical evidence.
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De Ridder D, Vanneste S, Plazier M, Vancamp. T. Mimicking the brain: evaluation of St. Jude Medical’s Prodigy chronic pain system with burst technology. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2015;12(2):143–150. doi:10.1586/17434440.2015.985652
De Ridder D, Plazier M, Kamerling N, Menovsky T, Vanneste S. Burst spinal cord stimulation for limb and back pain. World Neurosurg. 2013 Nov;80(5):642-649.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2013.01.040. Epub 2013 Jan 12.
De Ridder D, Vanneste S. Burst and Tonic Spinal Cord Stimulation: Different and Common Brain Mechanisms. Neuromodulation. 2016 Jan;19(1):47-59. doi: 10.1111/ner.12368. Epub 2015 Nov 20. PMID: 26586145.
Yearwood T, De Ridder D, Yoo HB, Falowski S, Venkatesan L, Ting To W, Vanneste S. Comparison of Neural Activity in Chronic Pain Patients During Tonic and Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation Using Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography. Neuromodulation. 2020 Jan;23(1):56-63. doi: 10.1111/ner.12960. Epub 2019 Apr 30. PMID: 31039294.
Deer T, Slavin KV, Amirdelfan K, et al. Success using neuromodulation with BURST (SUNBURST) study: results from a prospective, randomized controlled trial using a novel burst waveform. Neuromodulation. 2018;21(1):56-66. doi:10.1111/ner.12698
Leong SL, De Ridder D, Deer T, Vanneste S. Potential Therapeutic Effect of Low Amplitude Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation on Pain. Neuromodulation. 2021 Apr;24(3):574-580. doi: 10.1111/ner.13090. Epub 2019 Dec 18.
Deer TR, Falowski SM, Moore GA, et al. Passive recharge burst spinal cord stimulation provides sustainable improvements in pain and psychosocial function: 2-year results from the TRIUMPH Spine. 2022;47(7):548-556. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004283
Abbott. NeuroSphere™ Clinician Programmer Spinal Cord Stimulation Systems Model 3874. 2025.
Abbott. NeuroSphere™ Clinician Programmer, Eterna SCS System. 2025.
Wallace, Mark S., et al. An integrated quantitative index for measuring chronic multisite pain: the multiple areas of pain (MAP) study. Pain Medicine. 19.7 (2018): 1425-1435
Falowski SM, Benison A. Prospective Analysis Utilizing Intraoperative Neuromonitoring for the Evaluation of Inter-Burst Frequencies. J Pain Res. 2021 Mar 11;14:703-710. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S298797. PMID: 33732016; PMCID: PMC7959207.
Falowski SM, Benison AM, Nanivadekar AC. Regional Coverage Differences With Single- and Multi-Area Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treatment of Chronic Pain. Neuromodulation. 2023 Oct;26(7):1471-1477. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.01.015. Epub 2023 Mar 3. PMID: 36870935.
Falowski SM, Nanivadekar AC. Prospective Six-Month Analysis of Multiarea Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation: Correlating Intraoperative Neuromonitoring With Postoperative Programming and Clinical Outcomes. Neuromodulation. 2024 Jul;27(5):899-907. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2024.02.003. Epub 2024 Mar 22. PMID: 38520459.
Abbott. BurstDR™ Stimulation SCS Clinical Consistency Memo. 2026.
* As assessed by EEG (N = 20) and PET (N = 7).
**Pain and suffering as measured by VAS.
***Programming options available for evolving pain.
†Abbott Medical spinal cord stimulation(SCS) systems in the U.S. are indicated as an aid in the management of chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs, including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with the following: failed back surgery syndrome, nonsurgical back pain(without prior surgery and not a candidate for back surgery). Indications for use and labeling for Abbott SCS systems may vary between countries worldwide. Not all individual study designs are applicable in all countries/regions.
and
Medial Pathway Activation:
Emotional response to pain.
Lateral Pathway Activation:
Physical response to pain.
Medial Pathway Activation:
Emotional response to pain.
Lateral Pathway Activation:
Physical response to pain.
0.6 mA
0.5 mA
0.3 mA
Study Design
Retrospective
Short-term [> 3 months]
Mid-term [3-6 months]
Long-term [6-24 months]
Prospective
RCT
Follow-up Duration
Deer 2022 [Triumph]
Deer 2022
YUE 2024 [DISTINCT]
Pope 2020 [DELIVERY]
De Ridder 2015
Deer 2021
Deer 2018 {SUBURST]
Bretherton 2022
Tjepkema-Cloostermans 2016
Al-Kaisy 2022 [CRISP]
Slusarczyk 2023
De Vos 2014
Courtney 2015
Kriek 2017
Mironer 2023
Vannest & De Ridder 2023
Muhammad 2018
Muhammad 2017
De Ridder 2010
Demartini 2019
Falowski & Navivadekar 2024
Grider & Harned 2020
Mons 2022
De Ridder 2013
Schu 2014
>250
≤ 20
21-40
41-100
101-250
Double-Blind, Placebo/Sham Controled RCT
Double- Blinded RCT
Study Design Key
Sample Size Key
BurstDR™ stimulation is supported by over a decade of global research, encompassing 13 countries, 1,600+ patients, and contributions from 190+ authors.14†
BACKED BY A DECADE OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE
Hover over the key to highlight the studies on the graph.