Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Psychological Aspects of Patients with Chronic Lower Back Pain

To investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) area on changes in psychological aspects in chronic lower back pain patients. Twenty-one subjects were randomly assigned to control group (n=10, both general physiotherapy and sham rTMS) and experimental group (n=11, both general physiotherapy and rTMS). Each group received treatment (physiotherapy : 20 minutes, 10 Hz rTMS : 10 minutes) five days per week for 4 weeks. Assessment of psychological aspects was measured pre, post, and 2 week follow up after treatment. The comparison results with regard to heart rate variability (HRV), EEG (α wave), Beck Depression Inventory version (K-BDI), Fear of Daily Activities Questionnaire (FDAQ), and Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ) confirmed that experimental group had a greater recovery to positive levels in comparison to control group. As a results, the application of rTMS to the ACC together with physiotherapy can have a positive effect on pain-related psychological aspects.