Ketamine continues to gain traction in the area of aiding Treatment Resistant Depression, but new research coming out is also showing its efficacy in helping treat chronic pain as well.
One of the pain modalities that Ketamine is showing promise in is with helping to create relief for those suffering from Peripheral Neuropathies.
Keep reading to discover just how Ketamine can help relieve peripheral neuropathy pain and if you are suffering from any of these chronic pain issues, how you can possibly find relief as well.
What Is Peripheral Neuropathy Pain?
Peripheral Neuropathy, in its most simplistic nature, is pain located in the distal parts of the arms and legs (the periphery) of the body.
Peripheral neuropathies Origins
Most of these pains are chronic in nature and stem from any of the following origins:
- Diabetes
- Genetic Predisposition
- Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
- Malnutrition
- Inflammation
- Injury
- Nerve Compression (such as Carpel Tunnel)
- Or Idiopathic In Nature (origin or cause is unknown)
How Is Peripheral Neuropathy Pain Usually Treated?
Often, in conventional medicine, this type of pain is often dealt with by prescribing opioids for pain relief, NSAIDs, or Gabapentin to attempt and dampen the pain response.
If left untreated, though, usually patients will require more mg of medication or require medication more often as their bodies continue to acclimate to the response of the medication.
How Does Ketamine Help Treat and Relief Neuropathic Pain?
If you are unfamiliar with the clinical use for Ketamine in treating pain and treatment resistant depression, then read up on some of our other blogs to see how it is changing these patients' lives.
For peripheral neuropathic pain, however, low dose Ketamine infusions have been show to provide profound relief to patients who have been suffering chronically.
Ketamine responds to the pain differently than say that of opiates given that is works by blocking the NMDA receptor, a highly specialized receptor in the nervous system.
Often with peripheral neuropathies, the NMDA receptor is overstimulated, and the use of opiates can sometimes have an opposite effect by stimulating this receptor even further.
Ketamine serves as a sort of "reset" to this pathway, which results in significant pain reduction for the patient, and often much more quickly than other medications.
What Are Some Types of Neuropathic Pain That Ketamine Can Help?
If medications and non-pharmacological interventions do not provide pain relief, IV ketamine therapy may be a treatment option.
Similar to depression, IV ketamine is known for its ability to help relieve medication-resistant chronic pain syndromes, especially those syndromes that have a neuropathic component, such as:
- Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1)
- Post-herpetic neuralgia
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines
- Crohn's disease
- Peripheral Neuropathies
How Do I Treat My Peripheral Neuropathies?
While research continues to discover and test effective treatment for Peripheral Neuropathies, Ketamine Infusions are showing promise with their current efficacy in providing relief for many patients.
Learn more about ketamine infusion therapy as a treatment for Peripheral Neuropathies by clicking below:
ABOUT NEUROMEND INFUSION CENTER
We are an Evidence-Based Center of Excellence and the leading provider of Ketamine Infusions, IV Infusions and Ketamine Consulting Services for Ketamine Clinics and IV Therapy Clinics.
We Provide Effective Treatment For The Following Conditions: Major Depressive Disorders, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Chronic Migraines, Severe Anxiety.
