The Pain Center at Akron Children's Hospital is one of the first pediatric hospitals in the United States to offer cryoanalgesia, ketamine infusions, and sphenopalatine ganglion blocks to patients for pain relief, according to the hospital.

Ketamine is a general anesthetic commonly used to put patients to sleep before surgery. After the FDA approved its use as a general anesthetic, physicians noticed smaller doses of the drug had positive effects on chronic pain.

"About ten years ago, adult pain centers started using ketamine for neuropathic, or burning pain," said Dr. Bradley Riemenschneider, pediatric anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Akron Children's. "There were no pediatric centers that were doing it in the United States, So I took it upon myself to do some research, and within the past year and a half, we've been starting to treat pediatric patients with burning neuropathic pain."

The drug relieves pain through several mechanisms, including blocking NMDA receptors, increasing neurotransmitters, and binding to specific pain-relief receptors. The drug can also increase gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA) in the brain, which can cause feelings of relaxation.

Ketamine is also used to treat suicidal thoughts and drug-resistant depression.

Akron Children's also offers cryoanalgesia for lower extremity and chest wall pain relief. The procedure involves performing a diagnostic block in the area before inserting a small needle into the skin near the painful area.

"The injection forms a little ice ball around the nerve or next to the nerve that's injured. This blocks the transmission of pain signals from that nerve to the brain," said Dr. Riemenschneider.

The procedure can last between six to 12 months.

Sphenopalatine ganglion blocks are used to treat chronic daily headaches.

The procedure deposits numbing medicine near the sphenopalatine ganglion in the back of the nose, blocking pain transmission and relieving headache pain. Relief can last up to 3 to 6 months.

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for three months or longer.