Chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. Whether your chronic pain is due to fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, or another underlying cause, M Rameen Ghorieshi, MD, MPH, and colleagues at Palo Alto Mind Body can help you find long-term relief with a customized treatment plan. To learn more about how they can help you overcome chronic pain, call the office in Palo Alto, California, or send a confidential email. We also serve many patients located in the surrounding Bay Area, such as South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, San Jose, and San Francisco.
Chronic Pain/CRPS Q & A
What is complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)?
CRPS, also sometimes referred to as chronic regional pain syndrome, is a chronic pain condition that typically affects one limb, whether an arm, hand, leg, or foot. In about 90% of all cases, CRPS is triggered by trauma or injury, then one of two types of CRPS develops afterward, Type 1 or Type 2:
CRPS Type 1: Formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD). Type 1 causes chronic pain without nerve damage in the affected limb.
CRPS Type 2: Formerly known as causalgia, this type has the same symptoms as Type 1, though with specific nerve damage.
What symptoms will I develop with CRPS?
Persistent, severe pain is the primary symptom of complex regional pain syndrome. It may spread to the entire arm or leg even when the injury and pain began in your hand or foot. The affected area may be so hypersensitive that the gentlest touch feels painful.
You may also experience:
- Changes in skin temperature, color, or texture
- Swelling of the affected limb
- Changes in hair or nail growth
- Stiff joints in the affected area
- Decreased movement in the affected limb
- Tremors or jerking in the affected limb
When CRPS goes untreated, it can worsen, causing tissue deterioration or muscles that tighten and freeze into a fixed position.
More than 11% of all adults live with daily chronic pain, while many others develop ongoing physical pain due to their mental health disorders.
At Palo Alto Mind Body, we routinely collaborate with pain specialists to provide ketamine as an adjunct treatment for their pain patients. We find ketamine to be a helpful option when other treatments for chronic pain, particularly Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), are not effective.
How does Ketamine improve pain?
Although the mechanism by which Ketamine improves pain is still being researched, here are some things we do understand: Ketamine blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. These receptors are involved in the amplification of pain signals and are overactive in patients with chronic pain. By inhibiting NMDA receptors, ketamine reduces abnormal pain signaling and may help “reset” dysfunctional pain pathways.
Other Mechanisms:
- Increases dopamine and serotonin levels, potentially improving mood and pain perception.
- Reduces neuroinflammation and glial cell activation, which are implicated in the development of chronic pain conditions.