You cut your finger and experience sharp pain that turns into a dull ache as the wound heals. But heal it does, and the pain goes away.
With peripheral neuropathy, the path to relief isn’t as simple because you're not dealing with an injury that can heal but with nerves that are damaged and malfunctioning.
You may find some comfort in the knowledge that you're not alone — between 1% and 7% of the general population struggles with peripheral neuropathy (PN), and half of people with diabetes develop peripheral nerve damage.
Helping people with tough-to-treat neuropathic pain has been challenging, but we’re thrilled to join the effort with an innovative and effective option — ketamine therapy.
As our name suggests, here at Charlotte Ketamine Center, Dr. Neal Taub specializes in ketamine therapy, which has helped scores of our patients find much-needed relief from PN.
In the United States, more than 38 million adults have diabetes, the leading driver of PN. When you have diabetes, you're unable to control the levels of glucose in your blood because of insulin resistance or a lack of insulin.
These elevated sugar levels can damage peripheral nerves, especially in your legs, feet, arms, and hands.
Diabetes is behind about 30% of cases of PN, but there are plenty more causes, such as:
And while pain is one symptom that certainly gets your attention, peripheral neuropathy can also lead to other symptoms, such as numbness and tingling.
The hallmarks of neuropathic pain are sharp stabbing or burning sensations often described as shock-like sensations. The pain can be in response to outside stimuli — even the slightest touch can set it off — or occur spontaneously.
However your neuropathic pain presents itself, you already know how difficult it is to target and treat. Spot medications are near impossible because you can’t predict the pain patterns, and there’s nothing to “heal” to make the pain go away.
Ketamine therapy is gaining traction in treating neuropathic pain because we’re able to go straight to the source of your pain — your brain and central nervous system.
Ketamine blocks the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in your brain, which play a role in how you perceive pain. Blocking these NMDA receptors can prevent your brain from responding to the overactive nerve firing with pain signals.
Studies are ongoing, but the research gathered so far points to the efficacy of using ketamine for neuropathic pain. For example, one study found a “statistically significant pain reduction by adding ketamine to the treatment of chronic NP when compared to the standard treatment.”
Our own experiences confirm these findings. We can help patients finally find a solution for their pain, allowing them to get back to a life not overshadowed by constant, unpredictable pain.
To learn more about how ketamine can help with your peripheral neuropathy pain, call our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 704-519-6918 today.
