Percutaneous leads with laterally displaceable sections, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A device in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a lead body that in turn includes first, second and third percutaneous portions. The first portion can carry an electrical contact, the second portion can be spaced apart from the first portion, and the third portion can be positioned between the first and second portions along a deployment axis. The third portion can have a stiffness in a direction transverse to the deployment axis that is less than a stiffness of both the first and second portions transverse to the deployment axis, and a diameter that is less than corresponding diameters of the first and second portions.
