Study: Cannabinoids May Reduce Pain and Spasticity in Those With Spinal Cord Injuries
Those with spinal cord injuries may find their symptoms eased by cannabinoids – the compounds found in cannabis – according to a new study. The study, titled The Therapeutic Potential and Usage Patterns of Cannabinoids in People with Spinal Cord, is being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Current Neuropharmacology – it was epublished ahead of print online by the National Institute of Health.
“People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) commonly experience pain and spasticity, but limitations of current treatments have generated interest in cannabis as a possible therapy”, states the study, in which researchers conducted this systematic review to: 1) examine usage patterns and reasons for cannabinoid use, and 2) determine the treatment efficacy and safety of cannabinoid use, in people with SCI [spinal cord injuries].”
For the study, “PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were queried for keywords related to SCI and cannabinoid.”
7,232 studies were screened, 34 were included in this systematic review. Though 26 studies addressed cannabinoid usage, only 8 investigated its therapeutic potential on outcomes such as pain and spasticity. “The most common usage method was smoking. Relief of pain, spasticity and pleasure were the most common reasons for use. Statistically significant reduction of pain and spasticity was observed with cannabinoid use in 80% and 90% of experimental studies, respectively.” However, on examination of randomized control trials (RCTs) alone, effect sizes ranged from -0.82 to 0.83 for pain and -0.95 to 0.09 for spasticity.
The study concludes by stating: “Current evidence suggests cannabinoids may reduce pain and spasticity in people with SCI, but its effect magnitude and clinical significance is unclear. Existing information is lacking on optimal dosage, method of use, composition and concentration of compounds. Longterm, double-blind, RCTs, assessing a wider range of outcomes should be conducted to further understanding of the effects of cannabinoid use in people with SCI.”
The full abstract can be found below:
BACKGROUND:
People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) commonly experience pain and spasticity, but limitations of current treatments have generated interest in cannabis as a possible therapy.
OBJECTIVES:
We conducted this systematic review to: 1) examine usage patterns and reasons for cannabinoid use, and 2) determine the treatment efficacy and safety of cannabinoid use, in people with SCI.
METHODS:
PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were queried for keywords related to SCI and cannabinoid.
RESULTS:
7,232 studies were screened, 34 were included in this systematic review. Though 26 studies addressed cannabinoid usage, only 8 investigated its therapeutic potential on outcomes such as pain and spasticity. The most common usage method was smoking. Relief of pain, spasticity and pleasure were the most common reasons for use. Statistically significant reduction of pain and spasticity was observed with cannabinoid use in 80% and 90% of experimental studies, respectively. However, on examination of randomized control trials (RCTs) alone, effect sizes ranged from -0.82 to 0.83 for pain and -0.95 to 0.09 for spasticity. Cannabinoid use was associated with fatigue and cognitive deficits.
CONCLUSIONS:
Current evidence suggests cannabinoids may reduce pain and spasticity in people with SCI, but its effect magnitude and clinical significance is unclear. Existing information is lacking on optimal dosage, method of use, composition and concentration of compounds. Longterm, double-blind, RCTs, assessing a wider range of outcomes should be conducted to further understanding of the effects of cannabinoid use in people with SCI.
Elena Bey
Medical marijuana is highly effective for chronic pain management. There are other drugs that come into prove therapeutic remedies such as antiepileptic drugs or antidepressants. Medical cannabis handles everything from neuroprotective to anti-inflammatory pains.
When traditional treatments fail in cases of neuropathic pains then medical cannabis becomes very important as there is no long term efficacy of opioids or other analgesics. Spinal cord injuries need soothing treatments and medical marijuana can be used in different ways ranging from taking orally, sublingual, or topically in ointment oil form too. Smoking medical marijuana can impact chronic pain related to spinal injuries as it leads to easy titration. If taken orally, the blood levels will show impact within 30 hours maximum of ingesting. If applied topically, it has proven good success in treating arthritic pain.
Just to check if the subject is too allergic to cannabinoids then it can show signs of toxicity in specific cases only. In America, it is used as a Schedule 1 drug under the FDA for the case of both dronabinol and nabilone.