Pain control is one of the strong speciality of FV Hospital. In modern medicine, one of the most effective pain control method is treat directly on the neurons that causing pain, but still safe for patient’s health. Therefore, FV Hospital has invested in new generation of rTMS to help patients control and treat pain.
More effective than taking medication
Low intensity TMS (1 Hertz) seems to mostly stimulate low-threshold inhibitory interneurons which have an impact on pain control. Analgesia after rTMS is not linked with action on cortex but to other structures (such as central grey nuclei, primary sensori-cortex,,…). It had been tested in different painful conditions such as central pain (lesions of brain or spine), facial neuropathic pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia and painful small-fibers polyneuropathies – and benefit had been shown against placebo (sham stimulation). The result is far from being like after taking a pill or being operated: it is linked with a process so it is only with time that the benefit will be found by the patient.
How the procedure is performed?
Patient is seated on a chair, with one coil near his head. TMS are applied to the cortex and when the stimulation is getting enough, at a time, there will be a motor reaction on the opposite side (normally on the opposite hand). rTMS use stimulation amplitudes at 80 to 90% of the one responsible for motor response, so they are painless. There will be few sessions: initial ones (every days for 5 to 10 days), then few others according to the underlying pathology, at a decreasing speed. Total number of sessions is about 15 to 20.
Are there contra-indications (CI)?
The only absolute CI is the presence of ferromagnetic substances or implants in the magnetic field. Pacemakers and stimulating devices to the spinal cord should be accepted if the coil is located far away enough from them. The risk of seizure is estimated to less than 0.5% (however, the indication should be balanced in case of seizure in a patient).
With the help from rTMS, FV Hospital has one more method to help patients extinguish the pain and improve life quality when they have to face with chronic pain.
