rTMS for Orthopaedic Trauma Patients

A large percentage of orthopaedic trauma patients suffer from psychiatric distress and chronic pain related to their injury and underlying psychosocial factors; this predicts poor post-injury recovery. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a neuromodulation technique used to stimulate areas of the brain that may modulate symptoms of pain, depression, and post-traumatic stress. The FDA-approved rTMS protocol for treatment is 10Hz stimulation for 40 minutes over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) for the treatment of depression. This methodology has been very successful in real world situations, however poses some limitations, including the duration of the treatment session (approximately 40 minutes per treatment session). Recently, researchers have aggressively pursued modifying the treatment parameters to reduce treatment times with some preliminary success. This study will use modified parameters to create a more rapid form of treatment and look at outcome changes in pain and depression, commonly seen in orthopaedic trauma patients.