Our Treatments
Chronic Pain
It is estimated that 20% of Canadians suffer from chronic pain. Pain is defined as chronic when it is ongoing and has persisted for at least 3 months. This type of pain may originate from an injury, or disease. However, it becomes chronic when pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years, long after the initial cause of the pain has healed or subsided.
If you, or someone close to you, is suffering from pain that has failed to subside, then you know first-hand the devastating impact it can have on an individual's quality of life. You would also be familiar with the negative mental health effects that often accompany chronic pain, such as depression and anxiety.
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At the Toronto Pain & Ketamine Centre, we will perform a thorough medical history and assessment to determine the best type of treatment to help alleviate pain. We specialize in treating or eliminating the symptoms of chronic pain, and helping our patients feel better through a variety of approaches, such as ketamine infusions, interventional nerve blocks and medication.
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A nerve block is an anesthetic injection to treat pain, targeted toward a certain nerve or group of nerves. The purpose of the injection is to halt the pain signal coming from a specific location in the body, thereby reducing or eliminating the symptoms of chronic pain.
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Ketamine Infusion Treatment
Ketamine is an anaesthetic drug that was developed in 1962. It has been used in hospitals for the past 50 years during surgery. More recently, Ketamine has been found to be a valuable and highly effective treatment for chronic pain, as well as treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. It can be a solution for many who have been suffering for a significant amount of time and have failed to find a solution to their pain.
IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy involves intravenous infusions of low-dose ketamine over a period of time. The drug works by blocking the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain. Often, in individuals who are experiencing chronic pain, these receptors have become overactive. By blocking these receptors, Ketamine stops the release of pain-causing chemicals to the brain, causing the brain to “reset”. As the brain no longer perceives the pain signals, the patient no longer feels pain. Additionally, Ketamine boosts the levels of important neurochemicals that help improve mood. Therefore, Ketamine IV infusions also treat the mood disorders that often accompany chronic pain, such as depression.
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