Chronic pain isn't always just isolated to your back, your joints, or your nerves. Chronic pain can actually change the way your brain processes pain signals. This, then, creates a cycle that makes your symptoms feel more intense and persistent.
That's why newer advances in pain management focus on the brain itself. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), for example, is a noninvasive therapy that may help rewire pain pathways and provide relief for certain chronic pain conditions.
Read on as our team at International Spine, Pain & Performance Center explains what TMS is and five ways it can relieve your pain.
TMS is a noninvasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate deep brain regions involved in pain processing. Because it’s done as a series of sessions, you may see TMS referred to as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS.
During TMS treatment, we place a device against your scalp that delivers high and low intensity magnetic fields to the planned areas of your brain.
Our team of providers may recommend TMS if you have:
Regardless of what’s contributing to your chronic pain, TMS treatment doesn’t require surgery, anesthesia, or recovery time, and most sessions take less than an hour.
TMS doesn’t mask pain. Instead, it:
When pain becomes chronic, your brain can become hypersensitive to pain signals. TMS helps modulate (influence) the activity of certain brain regions, which may reduce the perceived intensity of those pain signals.
For example, research shows that when magnetic energy is targeted toward your primary motor cortex, it can reduce pain intensity associated with fibromyalgia.
Chronic pain is often associated with changes in your brain's neural networks. TMS may help reset some of these abnormal pain-processing patterns by encouraging healthier communication between nerve cells.
In other words, it may help your brain respond differently to ongoing pain signals.
Chronic pain and depression frequently occur together. In fact, each condition can make the other worse.
Because TMS is FDA-cleared for certain forms of depression, some people experience improvements in both mood and pain-related distress. A better mood can also improve coping skills, sleep quality, and your overall quality of life.
Many people with chronic pain are looking for treatment options that don't rely exclusively on medication.
While TMS isn't a replacement for every pain treatment, successful therapy may help some people reduce their dependence on certain medications as part of a comprehensive pain management plan.
Unlike surgery or implanted devices, TMS doesn’t require any incisions, injections, or recovery time. Most people can drive themselves to and from appointments and return to their normal activities immediately afterward.
So, if you’re looking for a less invasive approach to chronic pain management, you might consider TMS.
If chronic pain continues to affect your work, sleep, mobility, or quality of life despite traditional treatments, TMS may be worth exploring.
Our team at International Spine, Pain & Performance Center can evaluate your condition and determine whether TMS fits into your personalized pain management plan.
Even if TMS isn’t right for you — it’s not recommended for anyone with epilepsy, for example — we can recommend alternative treatment paths, including spinal cord stimulation, kyphoplasty, or interventional orthopedic treatments like stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
To learn more about TMS, schedule an evaluation in Washington, DC, in Arlington, Virginia, or at our Mountain Spine & Pain location in Pulaski, Virginia.
