Pain manage­ment

Pain management

Chronic pain can wear you down over time. This page explains how tDCS may help, and what the research shows for fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and nerve pain.

How tDCS targets chronic pain

Chronic pain often changes how the brain and nervous system process pain signals over time, making them more sensitive.

tDCS places one pad over the motor cortex, a brain area involved in movement. This activates the brain's own pain-reducing system, called the descending inhibitory pathway. This pathway reduces how strongly pain signals from the body reach the brain.

What the evidence shows

There's good evidence that tDCS can help with long-term pain. In a study, 414 people with fibromyalgia tried tDCS. It reduced their pain more than a placebo (Moshfeghinia et al., 2023).

More than 33,000 tDCS sessions have been recorded, and no serious side effects have been found. It's one of the safest brain treatments studied so far (Bikson et al., 2016).

Which pain conditions it is used for

Fibromyalgia
Knee osteoarthritis
Neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury (SCI), or phantom limb pain

tDCS is worth considering if your current pain treatments are not giving you enough relief.

Frequently asked questions

No. Most people feel tingling, itching, or warmth on the skin under the electrodes during the session. In clinical data, these sensations are usually mild and short-lived; some people find them briefly uncomfortable at first, but they often ease within the first few minutes. tDCS uses a very gentle current - far less than you'd feel from static electricity.
Most people begin to notice improvements within 2 to 3 weeks of regular sessions. Some feel changes sooner — improved sleep quality and energy are often among the first things people notice. Others take a bit longer. The full treatment course is typically 3 to 6 weeks. This is generally faster than antidepressant medication, which often requires 6 to 8 weeks before you know whether it is working.
Yes. tDCS can be used alongside antidepressant medication. One key advantage of tDCS is that it's safe to combine with different types of medications. As tDCS does not enter your system like medications do, it can not have pharmacological interactions. In fact, the SELECT-TDCS trial demonstrated that tDCS combined with sertraline produced better outcomes than either treatment by itself. Many patients start tDCS as an add-on to their existing medication, and some are later able to reduce their medication in consultation with their doctor. We recommend consulting your doctor before making any changes to your treatment plan.
No. You can purchase Sooma tDCS™ directly for home delivery — no prescription is needed. However, we recommend consulting your doctor before beginning any new treatment or making changes to your treatment plan. If you have questions about whether tDCS is right for you, a healthcare provider can help