Toronto, Canada: More than one in five patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (MSK) report having used cannabis to manage their symptoms and 90 percent of them perceive it to be effective, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Canadian researchers surveyed 629 patients with chronic MSK pain. Twenty-three percent acknowledged having used cannabis therapeutically. Over 90 percent of consumers said that it was either “very,” “somewhat,” or “slightly” effective at managing their pain, improving their sleep, and reducing anxiety-related symptoms. More than half (57 percent) perceived cannabis to be more effective than other analgesic medications, and 40 percent acknowledged decreasing their use of traditional pain medications following their use of cannabis.
The study’s authors concluded: “One in five patients presenting to an orthopaedic surgeon with chronic MSK pain are using or have used cannabis with the specific intent to manage their pain, and most report it to be effective. … Future double-blind placebo-controlled trials are required to understand if this reported efficacy is accurate, and what role, if any, cannabis may play in the management of chronic MSK pain.”
Survey data published last month reported that one in four cannabis consumers use it primarily to achieve pain relief.
Full text of the study, “Understanding the epidemiology and perceived efficacy of cannabis use in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.