Evidence that ketamine is efficacious for CRPS continues to grow

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is an extremely painful neuropathic pain condition that is notoriously hard to treat. At present, there are no FDA-approved medications that are indicated for treating CRPS. However, there are numerous medications that are utilized off-label by experienced clinicians. Perhaps the most promising of which is ketamine. Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic but scientists and clinicians have taken notice of it’s unique analgesic properties. Numerous clinical trials and case studies exist in the public domain that show that ketamine can be used to treat CRPS. As a result, ketamine infusions are being offered more and more. Unfortunately, not all infusions are equal. This is because there are no guidelines for using ketamine for CRPS. As such, patients should take great care in selecting the most qualified doctor for treating their CRPS with ketamine.

How should you find the right ketamine specialist?

Because ketamine is an FDA-approved anesthetic, board certified anesthesiologists are generally the best choice. Still, not all anesthesiologists are experienced in treating neuropathic pain conditions. Even anesthesiologists with a pain management background may fall short if they do not have extensive experience using ketamine for CRPS. An ideal CRPS doctor is someone who has the appropriate medical training and has a proven track record for treating CRPS with ketamine. This may seem like finding a needle in a haystack but qualified ketamine doctors do exist.

Make an appointment with Dr. Hanna at Florida Spine Institute and decide for yourself. Dr. Hanna board certified in anesthesiology and is the Director of Pain Management at the Florida Spine Institute in Clearwater, FL. He has conducted more than 7000 ketamine infusions to date—many of which were to treat patients with CRPS. He has been featured in numerous news segments related to ketamine, a film related about CRPS and Ketamine, and regularly publishes his findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals with the goal of advancing ketamine therapy for CRPS and other disorders.