Finding Relief: Help for CRPS
If you’ve been living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), you know just how intense and relentless the pain can be. Often described as burning, stabbing, or tingling, the discomfort of CRPS can feel like it takes over your entire body—and life. Even worse, it’s not always well understood, and many people go years without finding a treatment that actually works.
If you’ve been living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), you know just how intense and relentless the pain can be. Often described as burning, stabbing, or tingling, the discomfort of CRPS can feel like it takes over your entire body—and life. Even worse, it’s not always well understood, and many people go years without finding a treatment that actually works.
But there’s a new option gaining traction in the world of pain management: ketamine therapy. And for some people with CRPS, it’s offering something they thought was out of reach – relief.
What Is CRPS, Exactly?
CRPS is a chronic pain condition, usually triggered by an injury or surgery, that causes the nervous system to go haywire. Instead of healing normally, the nerves continue to send pain signals long after the injury has healed. This can lead to extreme sensitivity, swelling, skin color changes, and stiffness in the affected area.
Unfortunately, traditional treatments like physical therapy, nerve blocks, or pain medications, don’t always help. That’s where ketamine comes in.
Help from Ketamine
You might have heard of ketamine as an anesthetic, or even as a treatment for depression. But it’s also showing promise for chronic pain conditions like CRPS. According to the Cleveland Clinic, ketamine works by blocking a specific receptor in the brain (called NMDA) that’s responsible for amplifying pain signals. By disrupting this pain pathway, ketamine can actually “reset” the nervous system and reduce the intensity of chronic pain.
In other words, ketamine doesn’t just dull the pain – it helps stop it at the source.
A study published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy looked at patients with CRPS who received ketamine infusions over multiple days. Many reported significant and long-lasting relief—something that was especially meaningful for those who had tried just about everything else without success.
Similarly, recent research found that ketamine therapy may help reduce not only the physical pain, but also the emotional burden that comes with living with CRPS. That’s important, because people with chronic pain often deal with anxiety, depression, and even PTSD as part of their experience.
What Does Treatment Look Like?
Ketamine therapy is typically done through IV infusions, although some clinics offer nasal sprays or other delivery methods. Sessions are done in a medical setting under careful supervision. Treatment plans can vary depending on the severity of the pain and the individual’s response.
According to the Cleveland Medical Institute, patients may receive a series of infusions over several days or weeks, followed by maintenance treatments as needed. Some report improvement after just one session, while others may need a longer course to see results.
Is Ketamine Right for You?
Like any treatment, ketamine isn’t for everyone. It can cause temporary side effects like dizziness, blurred vision, or a sense of dissociation (feeling disconnected from your body). But under medical supervision, it’s generally considered safe – and for people with CRPS who’ve exhausted their options, it may be a game-changer.
A review in Frontiers in Pain Research highlighted how ketamine could offer both short- and long-term relief from CRPS symptoms, especially when other medications fail. It’s not a miracle cure, but it’s opening new doors for people who were previously stuck in cycles of pain and frustration.
Living with CRPS can be incredibly isolating, but there’s hope. Ketamine therapy is giving people their lives back, helping them move with less pain and more freedom. If you or someone you love is struggling with CRPS and hasn’t found relief, ketamine could be a promising option worth exploring.
As always, we’re here to answer your questions and to see if it’s the right fit for your needs. Relief might be closer than you think.
