Investigation of the Efficacy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients Developing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 in the Upper Extremity During the Subacute-Chronic Period After Ischemic Stroke

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method that modulates the cortical excitability of the targeted motor area. While single-pulse TMS is generally used to explore the functioning of the brain, repetitive TMS is employed to induce lasting changes in brain activity. High-frequency rTMS leads to an increase in excitability in the motor cortex, whereas low-frequency application results in inhibition of motor cortical excitability. Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of rTMS that can be delivered continuously (cTBS) or intermittently (iTBS), thus modulating the excitability of corticospinal neurons beneath the stimulation area to either decrease or increase. rTMS is a growing research area in pain management, proven to be a safe and well-tolerated method. Studies have shown that rTMS applied to the motor cortex is a promising treatment method for chronic pain

Patients in the control group will receive sham transcranial magnetic stimulation with sham coil for 35 minutes a day, 5 sessions in total, together with conventional rehabilitation.

Patients will receive 5 minutes of continuous ultrasound (1MHz, 2W/cm2, 1:4)), followed by a 20-minute contrast bath, and 15 minutes of TENS (frequency: 100 Hz; pulse duration: 50-100 ms; and amplitude adjusted to avoid discomfort or muscle contraction to the patient).