Most people associate ketamine therapy with mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Ketamine is a popular mental health treatment because it works quickly and effectively to alleviate depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
But many people don’t know that ketamine is also a powerful treatment for chronic pain.
Here at KetaKlarity in Greencastle, Indiana, we work with patients every day who are battling long-term pain that didn’t respond to traditional therapies. After trying several different medications, physical therapy, and making changes to their home or work environment, the pain still wouldn’t go away.
For them, ketamine can be life changing as a pain management treatment. In this post, we’ll break down how ketamine helps manage chronic pain, what types of conditions it can treat, and why it might be worth visiting KetaKlarity if you’re dealing with pain that just won’t go away.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than three months and doesn’t go away with standard medical treatment. It’s not just about physical discomfort — it affects your energy, mood, sleep, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Many people with chronic pain have tried everything from prescription meds and physical therapy to surgery. Although these treatments do help many patients, many others are left still dealing with chronic pain after treatment.
Common chronic pain conditions include:
· Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
· Fibromyalgia
· Neuropathic pain (such as diabetic nerve pain or postherpetic neuralgia)
· Migraines and cluster headaches
· Back and neck pain
· Cancer-related pain
· Phantom limb pain
For people with these conditions, ketamine can provide relief using a unique approach that targets the nervous system itself.
How Does Ketamine Relieve Pain?
Ketamine works differently than opioids or other common pain medications. Instead of dulling the perception of pain through sedation, ketamine addresses the source of the problem: how the brain and nervous system process pain signals.
Ketamine has a unique effect on the body and achieves its result by targeting multiple body systems simultaneously:
NMDA Receptor Blockade
Ketamine blocks NMDA receptors in the brain and spinal cord. These receptors play a role in pain signaling and in developing “central sensitization”, which is a condition where your nervous system stays stuck in a heightened state of pain, even after the original injury or illness has healed. By interrupting this communication circuit, ketamine can reduce the intensity and persistence of pain.
Nervous System Reset
Chronic pain essentially rewires the brain to expect pain. Over time, even minor stimuli, such as light touch, changes in temperature, or simple movements, can trigger pain responses. Ketamine appears to help “reset” the pain pathways, giving patients relief even after the drug has left the system.
Anti-inflammatory Effects
Ketamine also reduces inflammation in the brain and nervous system. Neuroinflammation is a key contributor to chronic pain, especially in conditions like fibromyalgia and CRPS. By calming that inflammation, ketamine decreases the frequency and severity of pain flares.
What is Ketamine Therapy Like?
Here at KetKlarity, we treat chronic pain with a series of intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions. The dose and frequency needed will depend on the severity of and type of condition, how long the pain has lasted, the patient’s biological characteristics, and the patient’s response to early infusions.
Chronic pain ketamine protocols typically call for higher doses administered over a longer period of time than for mental health treatment. Patients are monitored closely throughout, with Dr. Sheffler personally overseeing the infusion.
Most patients report experiencing a reduction in pain levels after just a few sessions. Many patients find that after ketamine infusions, they’re better able to participate in physical therapy, reduce their reliance on opioids, or regain mobility and function that pain had taken away, thus making other pain management efforts more effective as well.
Finding a Pain Management Clinic in Indiana
If you or someone you love is living with chronic pain, it can be difficult to know where to go for relief – especially if you have tried several options without success. For these patients, ketamine infusion therapy can be an excellent option that finally brings relief.
KetaKlarity is located in Greencastle, Indiana, west of Indianapolis. Patients with chronic pain issues come from all over the western part of Indiana to receive treatment at our clinic. Our treatments are reasonably priced and delivered with a personal touch you don’t find at other clinics.
To see if ketamine infusion therapy can help with your chronic pain issues, schedule a consultation with Dr. Sheffler by calling 765-630-8315 or filling out our online form. Let’s start now to get you feeling better.