Ketamine is medication that anesthesia providers have used for years to help people sleep during surgery. But these days, it’s also being used in a different way – to help manage chronic pain. Chronic pain is a type of pain that lasts for a long time, usually more than three months. It can be very hard to treat, and sometimes, the usual pain medications just don’t work. That’s where ketamine comes in.

So, how does ketamine work? Well, it has to do with the way our brains process pain. Our brains have special spots called receptors that receive signals from the rest of our body. When we feel pain, it’s because these receptors are getting a signal that something is wrong. Ketamine works by blocking these signals, so we don’t feel the pain as much.

Ketamine is especially good at treating certain types of pain, like nerve pain and a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Nerve pain can feel like a shooting, tingling, or burning sensation, while CRPS usually happens after an injury or surgery and causes long-lasting pain.

Ketamine infusions are given through an IV, which is a small tube that goes into your vein. The exact way that ketamine helps with chronic pain is still a bit of a mystery, but we do know that it attaches to certain areas in our brain and spinal cord that are responsible for feeling pain. After it attaches, it can help decrease pain and even improve mood.

While ketamine is not usually the first treatment used try for chronic pain, it can be a helpful option for people who haven’t found relief with other treatments. As we continue to learn more about how ketamine works, we hope that it can help more people find relief from their chronic pain and improve their quality of life. If you’re struggling with chronic pain, ask about whether ketamine could be an option for you.