Chicago, IL: Patients with hand pain-related pathologies frequently turn to cannabis for pain relief, according to data published in the journal Hand.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Chicago surveyed 122 patients suffering from hand-related pain. Fifteen percent of respondents acknowledged using cannabis to manage their symptoms.
Investigators reported: “Compared with pre-usage pain scores, both cannabinoids and Rx/OTC medications induced significant reductions in pain associated with patients’ hand pathologies. … Subjectively, … cannabinoids were preferred over Rx/OTC medications by 64 percent of the cannabinoid cohort, and no respondents preferred traditional medications over cannabinoids.”
The study’s authors concluded: “Although this is a small-scale study, these findings support the idea that cannabinoids are used regularly and are effective for pain control in orthopedic hand patients. Given the variety of cannabinoids among patients surveyed, future directions include examining the formulations, ingestion methods, and potencies that most improve pain from hand pathologies. Orthopedic surgeons should continue working with their patients to find successful, safe, and personalized ways to achieve adequate pain control.”
Full text of the study, “Prevalence and effect of cannabinoids in pain management and hand pathologies,” appears in Hand. Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.
Survey: Cannabis as Effective as Prescription Medicines for Treatment of Hand Pain – Norml
