TMS for Chronic Pain

How TMS Treats Chronic Pain

Unlike most pain treatments that work from the "bottom up" — targeting pain signals at the site of injury or along nerve pathways — TMS takes a "top-down" approach by modulating how the brain itself processes pain. This makes it particularly valuable for patients whose pain has become chronic, where the brain's pain-processing circuits have become sensitized and overactive.

Conditions We Treat

TMS for pain has shown benefit across a wide range of chronic pain conditions, including:

• Fibromyalgia
• Neuropathy (diabetic, chemotherapy-induced, and other forms)
• Joint disease and arthritis
• Nerve injury and nerve-related pain
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Migraine
• Generalized pain syndromes

A Combined Approach: Pain + Depression

Chronic pain and depression frequently co-occur, and each condition can make the other worse. For patients receiving a TMS course for depression, pain targets can often be incorporated into the same sessions: the left frontal target used for depression also addresses the emotional dimension of pain, and motor cortex stimulation can be added to the same daily sessions.

If you’re being treated for depression, ask your team about addressing pain in the same sessions.

Setting Realistic Expectations

It is important to understand that TMS for pain rarely eliminates pain entirely. The goal is meaningful reduction — enough to improve your quality of life, increase your ability to function, and reduce your reliance on pain medications. Based on our clinical experience, approximately half of chronic pain patients report substantial benefit.

For the best outcomes, we recommend a systematic approach that may include working with a pain specialist, physical therapy, and other complementary strategies alongside TMS. A board-certified psychiatrist meets with you at every session to monitor your progress and adjust your treatment as needed. Our psychiatrists can help coordinate this broader care plan.

Insurance and Cost

Whether TMS is covered depends on your specific plan and diagnosis. Our care management team and insurance specialists will review your benefits and guide you through your options — visit our Insurance page or contact our intake coordinators at (310) 825-7471.

Additional Pain Treatment Options at UCLA

In addition to TMS for pain, UCLA's Neuromodulation Division offers two other noninvasive pain treatment modalities — Scrambler Therapy and Magnetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (mPNS) — both of which are FDA-cleared for specific chronic pain conditions. These treatments target pain through different mechanisms and can complement TMS or serve as standalone options.

Learn About Scrambler Therapy & mPNS