Pain Outcomes and Exercise Data from the EXERT-Stroke Pilot Clinical Trial on Post-Stroke Headaches.

Pain severity and interference decreased modestly across nine participating veterans. Because the abstract does not separate active from sham results, it cannot show that rTMS caused the improvement.

Dagli C, Morgan CJ, McGregor K, Lin C.
Restorative neurology and neuroscience · Publication date: 2026-09-10
Added to site: 2026-09-11
DOI: 10.1177/09226028261486597

First-publication date from the authoritative indexed record.

Modalities

TMS

Clinical focus

Stroke, Headache, Pain

Population

Veterans with persistent post-stroke headache

Sample

9 participants

Intervention / method

Ten supervised sessions combining standardized aerobic exercise with active or sham rTMS over eight weeks

Comparator

Sham rTMS within the underlying pilot; the reviewed abstract reports overall changes rather than an active-versus-sham effect

Clinician summary

Overall mean decreases were 1.2 points for pain severity and 1.0 for interference. Baseline blood pressure measures correlated with improvement, but no active-versus-sham treatment estimate is reported in the abstract.

How to interpret the findings

Very small secondary analysis, overall rather than between-arm outcome reporting, concurrent exercise and no durability estimate. Feasibility does not establish efficacy.

Equipment and disclosures

rTMS was combined with standardized aerobic exercise; stimulation equipment details were not verified from the abstract.

Funding and competing-interest disclosures were not verified from the reviewed abstract.

Related evidence

Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.

• A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia. · Mixed
• Infra-low frequency neurofeedback impact on post-concussive symptoms of headache, insomnia and attention disorder: Results of a randomized control trial. · Positive with limitations
• Biofeedback-Based Therapy in Patients With Myofascial Orofacial Pain and Bruxism: An Umbrella Review. · Mixed
• Acupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation vs repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation alone for recovery of hemiparesis after ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis. · Positive with limitations
• Non-invasive brain stimulation in chronic pelvic pain: a systematic review. · Mixed
• Motor Improvements Following Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation with kTMP: A Case Study of Cerebellar Stroke. · Positive with limitations
• Neuromodulation effects of HF-rTMS and rPMS on stroke patients: an fNIRS study. · Positive with limitations
• Photobiomodulation Irradiation Protocols for Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Protocol-Level Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials. · Positive with limitations
• Validation of Low-Frequency Oscillatory Activity as an Indicator of Post-Stroke Injury and Recovery. · Positive with limitations
• Clinical efficacy evaluation of combined central and peripheral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for elbow flexor (biceps Brachii) spasticity and upper limb motor function after stroke · Positive with limitations