Vagus nerve stimulation for chronic pain management: Mechanisms and clinical advances

Background: Chronic pain poses a significant challenge to the general population, especially in older adults. As a result, there is a growing emphasis on developing novel treatment options and expanding the use of emerging technologies. Objective: This comprehensive review aims to guide practitioners in chronic pain management by extending the current application of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). The review examined peer-reviewed studies, including multicenter cohort studies and clinical trials, published within the past 25 years. VNS has shown the most promising results in pain reduction for headache and migraine, with less relief in inflammatory and neuropathic pain as compared to current first-line treatment options. Conclusion: Overall, this review seeks to compile and critically analyze the effect and efficacy of VNS on different forms of chronic pain using the most current studies and research applicable.