Living with nerve pain in your hands or feet can make every day a struggle. A new review of studies looked at a treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, which uses magnetic pulses to target brain areas involved in pain.
The review combined results from patients with peripheral neuropathic pain. It found that rTMS significantly improved pain intensity compared to a sham, or fake, treatment. About three times as many people saw their pain drop by at least 30 percent. However, the review did not find significant improvements in sleep quality or in how patients globally felt about their change.
The analysis included 435 patients. Safety was a key focus, and the review found no significant increase in side effects like headaches, dizziness, or pain at the stimulation site. There were no major safety concerns reported.
The review notes some limitations, including high variability between the studies and limited data on long-term effects. While the findings support the clinical utility of rTMS for nerve pain, more research is needed to understand its lasting impact.
