Hello, this is Dr. Justin Yanuck, MD. As a physician double board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Pain Medicine—with fellowship training out of Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital—I’ve spent my career analyzing complex pain pathways. Today, I’m giving myself 10 minutes to answer a critical question we frequently receive at our Tustin and San Juan Capistrano clinics.
Question: “I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and the burning is unbearable. Can ketamine infusions actually break this cycle?”
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is widely considered one of the most painful conditions in clinical medicine. It is driven by central sensitization and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hyperactivation. When peripheral nerves are injured, NMDA receptors in the spinal cord’s dorsal horn become persistently active, causing a phenomenon known as “wind-up”. The nervous system gets locked in a continuous loop of severe pain, burning, and autonomic dysfunction.
Primary literature demonstrates that sub-anesthetic IV ketamine serves as a potent NMDA receptor antagonist. By blocking these receptors, ketamine disrupts the central “wind-up” mechanism. Our high-dose, multi-day protocols are specifically targeted to saturate these receptors, essentially resetting the software of your central nervous system.
At Renew Ketamine Infusion, we don’t just mask symptoms like traditional opioids do. We utilize the 48-to-72-hour window of neuroplasticity following your infusion to guide gentle, non-nociceptive movement, retraining your nervous system to perceive normal sensations without firing pain alarms.
Whether you are suffering from treatment-resistant depression or complex chronic pain, we are dedicated to helping you restore function and reclaim your life.
If you have questions about our treatments or want to discuss whether ketamine is right for you, contact our team at info@renewketamineinfusion.com or book a consultation at our Tustin or San Juan Capistrano clinics.
Cheers,
Dr. Justin Yanuck
Renew Ketamine Infusion
Tustin & San Juan Capistrano, CA