TMS (MeRT) Therapy for Chronic Pain in Valencia & Calabasas, CA

Acute pain that begins due to an illness or injury becomes chronic when it lasts longer than three months or continues after the underlying condition heals.

Chronic pain is notorious for not responding to medication. Even narcotics only provide temporary relief and at the high cost of a potential addiction.

Chronic pain often begins as an acute injury such as a pulled muscle or back sprain. However, many health conditions cause chronic pain, including:

• Chronic inflammation
• Fibromyalgia
• Neuropathy
• Radiculopathy
• Arthritis
• Herniated disc
• Vascular disease
• Degenerative disc disease
• Complex regional pain syndrome
  
  

Chronic pain is also associated with mental health disorders such as depression.

Chronic pain is a pervasive health problem that affects every aspect of your well-being, including your mental health. Living with ongoing pain leads to a range of difficult feelings, from anger and sadness to anxiety and hopelessness. Psychotherapy that helps you manage your thoughts and emotions can reduce the intensity of your pain.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve activity in your brain. The pulses pass safely through your skull and enter a tightly controlled area of your brain.

TMS relieves chronic pain by modifying the neural circuits associated with pain signaling. The team at BrainStim Centers, Inc. performs highly targeted TMS thanks to Nexstim SmartFocus® TMS technology. Nexstim uses MRI imaging to create a 3D image of your brain.

Your 3D image reveals the exact areas of dysfunctional nerve activity associated with chronic pain. The team at BrainStim Centers, Inc. uses that information to target your treatment, ensuring it reaches that precise area of your brain.

While relaxing in the Nexstim chair, a tracker will be placed on your forehead, without the use of adhesives. The tracker engages with the system so the equipment and computer can pinpoint the exact location for sending the pulsations.

The device will be placed near your head and will send out the magnetic pulses.

Each session time varies. However, the first session typically takes 45 minutes to load the MRI and conduct brain navigation. This data will be saved in the computer for future reference. Subsequent visits typically take 20 minutes from start to finish. Since TMS doesn’t negatively impact your cognitive abilities, you can leave as soon as the session is over and go back to your daily routine.

The best results are seen when having 5 sessions per week for a six week period. Throughout your treatment process, you will have periodic assessments with your TMS Technician to evaluate your overall mood, energy, and progress.