Short-Term Pain Relief by Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Objective@#Recent studies have shown that repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) reduces pain in various conditions. This pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of rPMS depending on the pain characteristics. Method: Adult patients aged 19∼85 years evaluated at our institution between September 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018 for subacute to chronic musculoskeletal pain equivalent to a numeric rating scale of 3 or higher for at least one month were enrolled. Pain scores as determined using a numeric rating scale at baseline and at the end of treatment were set as the primary outcome. Additionally, we classified the pain into nociceptive, intermediate, or neuropathic pain using the PainDETECT questionnaire and compared the responsiveness to rPMS according to the type of pain. @*Results@#The average pain scores significantly decreased after the 2-week rPMS treatment in all enrolled subjects (p＜0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in pain reduction between groups divided by PainDETECT questionnaire. @*Conclusion@#This study suggests that rPMS could safely relieve various types of pain.