Breaking Through Chronic Pain: How Magnetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (mPNS) Is Changing the Game

by msk-direct | 11 Sep, 2025 | Others | 0 Comments

A New Option for Chronic Pain: Magnetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (mPNS)

If you’ve been living with nerve-related pain that hasn’t responded to medication, surgery, or standard therapy, you know how discouraging it can feel. Many people hear “everything looks normal” on their MRI, yet still struggle with constant pain.

Magnetic Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (mPNS) is a newer, FDA-cleared treatment that uses magnetic pulses to retrain how nerves communicate with the brain. Multiple studies have shown promising, lasting results for people with chronic neuropathic pain — including post-surgical pain and painful diabetic neuropathy.

How mPNS Works

mPNS uses non-invasive magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve fibers under the skin, without direct contact. These pulses calm overactive pain signals and encourage healthy nerve communication.
Patients typically feel gentle tapping rather than pain, and each session lasts about 13–15 minutes.

What the Studies Show

Clinical trials and case series have shown consistent and meaningful reductions in pain across several chronic conditions:

• In one study, two-thirds of participants achieved significant relief, averaging an 87% decrease in pain after treatment (Bedder & Parker, 2023).
• In patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, pain scores improved by 57.8% at 30 days and 75.7% at 90 days, with sustained relief over time (Brown et al., 2025).
• A multicenter study reported that 71% of patients experienced ≥50% pain reduction by three months, even among those with medication-resistant pain (Kapural et al., 2024).
• Among responders, average opioid use dropped by 51%, suggesting that mPNS may help reduce medication dependence (Bedder & Parker, 2023).

Why Chronic Pain Responds

Chronic pain often persists because the nervous system “learns” to expect pain signals — even after an injury heals. mPNS works by retraining the system.

In simple terms, it floods the nerves with “safe” signals that override pain messages. Over repeated sessions, this helps the brain redraw its “pain map,” shrinking the overactive zones and restoring normal sensation. Researchers describe this as peripherally induced reconditioning of the central nervous system — a process of neuroplastic rewiring that allows pain relief to last well beyond treatment sessions.

How mPNS Compares to Other Options

Common Questions

Does mPNS hurt?
No. Patients feel rhythmic, gentle pulses but not pain.

How many sessions are needed?
Most studies used 3 sessions in the first week, followed by weekly or biweekly sessions for several weeks, then monthly maintenance as needed.

Is it covered by insurance?
At this time, most U.S. insurers do not cover mPNS. Clinics often offer self-pay options. While costs vary, many patients find that the improvement in quality of life and medication reduction offsets the expense.

The Takeaway

For people who’ve tried multiple treatments without success, mPNS represents a safe, non-invasive, and evidence-supported option. It helps the nervous system learn new patterns — calming pain without surgery or drugs.

If you’ve been told to “just live with it,” ask your physician whether you might be a candidate for magnetic peripheral nerve stimulation. Relief may be closer than you think.

References

1. Bedder, M. D., & Parker, J. (2023). Clinical evaluation of magnetic peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic neuropathic pain: Case series analysis.
2. Kapural, L., et al. (2024). Safety and Efficacy of Axon Therapy (mPNS) in post-traumatic and post-surgical neuropathic pain (SEAT study).
3. Brown, R. A., et al. (2025). Randomized controlled study of mPNS in painful diabetic neuropathy: 90-day outcomes.
4. Neural mechanisms adapted from “How Nerve Stimulation Provides Lasting Pain Relief (Feynman-Style)”.