Chronic Pain

Since Ketamine is a powerful pain reliever it has been used in anesthetics for many years.  For pain to be considered chronic it is usually present for over 12 weeks. When the body experiences pain these messages travel in the form of electrical signals along nerves that send this message to the brain.  With habitual pain, the stimulus for the pain has stopped, the body has healed but the signals continue to be sent to the brain.  Ketamine offers fast acting relief with system stabilizing qualities that does not impair breathing. There is growing evidence that Ketamine will provide prolonged relief for chronic pain patients.  Ketamine is an effective treatment option according to the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American Academy of Pain Medicine.  IV ketamine is known for its ability to help relieve therapy resistant chronic pain syndromes, especially those syndromes that have a neuropathic(nerve) component. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia disease have shown significant relief from pain with ketamine infusions.  Ketamine blocks the N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and also has some effect on opioid receptors.  It is thought that ketamine resets the hypersensitized pain receptors.  The primary goal of pain treatment is to reduce your pain enough to give you the opportunity to return to a normal life.

Pain infusion protocols involve higher doses than for depression and are usually done closer together with infusion appointments lasting about 3 hours. How effective is ketamine in the management of habitual Pain? Contact us Today!