Uncovering the Mechanism of Pain Relief by Peripheral Transcutaneous Magnetic Stimulation

Exclusion Criteria12

• Currently receiving pain medication Chronic pain must self-report peripheral pain, more than once per week, for at least three consecutive months
• Implanted Electronic Devices and / or Conductive Objects in or near the head: Patients who have an implanted device that is activated or controlled in any way by physiological signals (examples: deep brain stimulators, cochlear implants, and vagus nerve stimulators).
• Non-Removable Metallic Objects near the coil: Patients who have conductive, ferromagnetic, or other magnetic-sensitive metals implanted in their head or within 30 cm of the treatment coil (examples: cochlear implants, implanted electrodes/stimulators, aneurysm clips or coils, stents, and bullet fragments). F NOTE: Standard amalgam dental fillings are not affected by the magnetic field and are acceptable in patients.
• Active microbial infections may alter the quantity or quality of blood inflammatory cells such as monocytes and neutrophils.
• Positive Urine Drug test: (COC/AMP/OPI/mAMP/PCP/BAR/BZO/MTD/MDMA/OXY/PPX/BUP/TCA) Use of any medication other than pain medications. However, participants will not be excluded or asked to withdraw from medications used for pain management since temporary withdrawal from these medications could affect pain measures (exceptions will be therapies such as methadone or buprenorphine used to treat opioid addiction). Only those who have been stable on these medications for at least 60 days will be included. All patient medications used for at least 60 days prior to participation will be recorded and controlled in statistical analyses as needed.
• Systemic rheumatic disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus). These rheumatologic conditions will be excluded due to their autoimmune characteristic.
• Cachexia (wasting syndrome) and severe frailty as determined by the Groningen Frailty Index (score >4). This exclusion is in place to protect against the stress of experimental pain testing.
• Uncontrolled hypertension (i.e. SBP/DBP of >140/90) or cardiovascular or peripheral arterial disease. These exclusions are in place primarily for safety reasons because the cold pressor task represents a cardiovascular challenge. However, uncontrolled hypertension can also affect pain perception, which is another reason for excluding these individuals.
• Poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c > 8%) for both safety reasons and because diabetic neuropathy could alter pain perception.
• Neurological disease (e.g. Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis). Serious psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization within the past 12 months or characterized by active suicidal ideation. Any participant deemed to be actively suicidal upon study screening will be escorted to the emergency room and evaluated by the Psychiatry Service.
• A diminished cognitive function that would interfere with the understanding of study procedures. The Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) will be administered to ensure that participants are free of cognitive impairment that would compromise study participation. MMSE <18 will be excluded.
• Pregnancy