Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is pain that persists beyond the normal healing time, usually lasting for at least 3 months. It can cause significant emotional distress and interference with activities of daily life.  

Chronic pain can affect any part of the body, including back, head, mouth, face, bones, joints, muscles, and viscera (thorax, abdomen, pelvic cavities). It can be associated with diseases, such fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and cancer. It can result from surgery and trauma. Chronic pain is be due to damaged nerves, known as neuropathic pain (e.g., diabetes, complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain). The pain is often described as stabbing or burning. The incidence of chronic pain in adults ranges from 11 to 40%. 

Treatment options are diverse, including physical therapy, exercise, prescribed medications, pain injections, and surgery. Response to therapy is highly variable, depending on the cause, severity, and duration of pain. And treatments can have side effects. For instance, opiates can be addictive and surgical procedures can involve bleeding and structural injury.

Emerging evidence suggests that ketamine may be a safe and effective treatment for a variety of chronic pain syndromes. These include neuropathic pain (eg, spinal cord injury, phantom limb pain, complex regional pain syndrome, neuralgia) and non-neuropathic pain (e.g., headache, backache, cancer, ischemic limb pain, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, migraine headache). With CRPS, 50-60% of patients obtain relief from ketamine, often immediately after the infusion. The relief from pain may last from one to 11 months. As with other conditions, the higher the dose, greater the beneficial effect. These  encouraging findings offer new hope that ketamine can improve the lives of those suffering from chronic pain.

We believe that mental health is a right and should be available to all. Our IV ketamine treatment for chronic pain starts at $1375 for a 4 hour, highly personalized session. It is a longer period than that at most other centers, but one we found produces a more robust and long-lasting effect.

Ketamine is not a substitute for accepted treatments from a qualified professional mental health provider. If you or your loved one is suffering from chronic pain and interested in ketamine as a supplement or alternative to traditional therapy, please call us for a free consultation.