IV Lidocaine Infusion Therapy
A Nervous System Reset for Chronic Widespread Pain
Many people think chronic pain is simply a problem where it hurts. Often, it isn’t.
Over time, the nervous system itself can become overly sensitive, amplifying pain signals long after an injury has healed. Instead of hurting in one place, people begin to hurt everywhere.
This is known as central sensitization and is commonly seen in conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain, endometriosis, and even long-standing neck or low back pain. For these patients, IV lidocaine may provide something different—not simply pain relief, but a temporary reset of the nervous system.
Understanding Central Sensitization
Chronic pain often begins with a specific injury or area of irritation. For some people, however, pain spreads beyond the original injury.
Inflammation, hormone imbalances, chronic stress, sleep disruption, and other biological factors can make the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves increasingly sensitive. Eventually, the nervous system begins amplifying pain signals, even when there is little ongoing tissue damage. This is why many people describe that they ‘hurt everywhere.’
How IV Lidocaine Works
Most people know lidocaine as a numbing medication used during dental work or minor procedures. When administered intravenously in carefully controlled doses, lidocaine behaves very differently. Rather than simply numbing tissue, it delivers a ‘reset’ – turning off pain and stress pathways for several hours. This reset of the nervous system leads it to function more normally, typically for several days or weeks after each infusion.
Why the pain persists
Whether performed openly or laparoscopically, a hysterectomy involves significant changes to the internal support structures of the pelvis. Even after full recovery, the body must adapt to the absence of the uterus, and that adaptation doesn’t always go smoothly.
Potential Benefits
- Reduced pain
- Improved sleep
- Less muscle tension
- Better energy
- Improved function
- A greater sense of calm and relaxation
Conditions That May Benefit From IV Lidocaine
- Fibromyalgia
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Endometriosis
- Chronic widespread pain
- Central sensitization
- Chronic neck pain
- Chronic low back pain
- Neuropathic pain
- Persistent post-surgical pain
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Other chronic pain syndromes
How Is This Different From Neural Therapy?
Neural Therapy and IV lidocaine both use local anesthetics, but they work in different ways.
Neural Therapy targets specific nerves and areas where previous injury, surgery, inflammation, or trauma has caused abnormal nerve signaling. A reset of these specific nerves helps restore normal function to the circuit that was treated.
IV lidocaine works on the nervous system as a whole, treating sensitization in the brain, the spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body. While many patients benefit from one treatment or the other, some get best results from combination therapy that includes both. This can be done on two consecutive days or staggered days or weeks apart.
What the Research Shows
IV lidocaine has been used safely for decades, originally to treat acute postoperative pain. Research has since demonstrated benefits for acute pain, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain syndromes involving central sensitization. Although treatment protocols vary, the growing body of evidence supports IV lidocaine as a valuable option for carefully selected patients.
Dr. Nahas’ Experience
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Richard Nahas has administered thousands of IV lidocaine infusions to hundreds of patients living with chronic pain.
His individualized protocol includes trials of different local anesthetics, with or without multivitamins and trace minerals, to identify the combination that works best for each patient. Outcomes from 113 patients treated using this protocol were presented at the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).
Beyond the clinical data, Dr. Nahas values what patients tell him most—that IV lidocaine gives them more good days. They sleep better, spend meaningful time with family, return to activities they enjoy, and experience moments of relief that chronic pain had taken away.
What to Expect
- A comprehensive consultation and medical history review.
- An individualized infusion protocol is selected.
- The infusion is administered in a comfortable office setting.
- The treatment lasts approximately one hour.
- You are monitored throughout the infusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will one treatment fix my pain?
Usually not. Some patients experience meaningful improvement after one infusion, but most patients benefit from a series of treatments.
Am I a Candidate?
While IV Lidocaine can play a role in many pain disorders, there may be other treatments that would be better for you. The best way to determine this is through a comprehensive consultation.
Can IV lidocaine be combined with other treatments?
Yes. The standard infusion includes magnesium, and sometimes vitamins and minerals can improve results. IV infusions are often combined with Neural Therapy, regenerative medicine procedures, rehabilitation, or other personalized therapies.
How long do the benefits last?
Yes. Many patients seek consultation because pain continues after otherwise successful surgery. Whether you have had one or more ablation procedures, a total hysterectomy or any other procedure, a trial of injections or infusions to treat the pain is still an option..
Why Dr. Nahas Offers IV Lidocaine
Neural Therapy remains the cornerstone of Dr. Nahas’ practice because it addresses specific areas of abnormal nerve signaling. However, some patients have pain that has spread beyond a single nerve or injury. For these individuals, IV lidocaine provides an opportunity to calm the nervous system as a whole.
When combined with careful evaluation and individualized treatment planning, IV lidocaine can become an important step toward restoring function, improving quality of life, and giving patients more good days.
Is IV lidocaine safe?
Some studies have reported that high doses of lidocaine can affect heart rate and rhythm. Our protocol has been administered thousands of times over more than a decade without a single serious event. Side-effects can include lightheadedness, drowsiness or metallic taste in the mouth, but these are usually mild, and always disappear by the end of the infusion. When administered by experienced clinicians with appropriate monitoring, IV lidocaine has an excellent safety profile.
Schedule a Virtual Consultation
During your virtual consultation, Dr. Nahas will review your complete medical history, evaluate whether central sensitization may be contributing to your symptoms, and determine if IV lidocaine is appropriate as a stand-alone treatment or as part of your personalized care plan.
Related Conditions
- Related Conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Endometriosis
- Chronic Widespread Pain
- Persistent Post-Surgical Pain
- Chronic Neck Pain
- Chronic Low Back Pain
Related Treatments
- Related Treatments
- Neural Therapy
- Hydrodissection
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
- Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC)
- BodyMap Assessment