Does Medical Marijuana Help with Back Pain?
The debilitating nature of chronic back problems is well known to everyone who has experienced or cared for someone with such pain. Back pain is a leading cause of medical appointments and time away from work.
With that, more and more people ask: “Does marijuana help back pain?” and “Can you get medical weed for back pain?”
Good news: People who suffer from chronic pain, including chronic back pain, can get and use a medical marijuana card.
Medical Marijuana For Back Pain
Most products derived from cannabis will need more research to verify their safety and effectiveness before the FDA can approve them in the United States. On the other hand, anecdotal data suggests that cannabis or its constituents may help ease certain types of pain, particularly chronic back pain.
But, does medical weed help back pain?
When conventional care methods have failed, medical cannabis may be the answer. As time goes on, more and more people with chronic back pain are opting for this treatment method.
Common pharmaceuticals, for instance, have been linked to many adverse reactions, including nausea, stomach trouble, ulcers, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. On the contrary, medical marijuana has no such negative effects.
So, for many patients, medical marijuana for back pain is effective.
How Does Medical Marijuana Treat Back Pain Symptoms?
A review of studies conducted in 2015 revealed that some trials involving cannabis and cannabinoids for treating different chronic pain problems yielded promising results. Researchers have found evidence that cannabis and cannabinoids may help with chronic pain, particularly chronic back pain.
Since there is a wide variety of symptoms associated with back pain, medical marijuana can be useful in relieving many of them. Some of the symptoms that medical marijuana has shown to improve are:
Pain & Muscle Spasms
Marijuana can alleviate muscle spasms. Within 20 minutes of inhalation, several studies have found a 45% reduction in pain severity. More specifically, it helps relieve back spasms. Muscle spasms are one of the many medical conditions for which many states have legalized the use of marijuana.
Nausea & Vomiting
Among marijuana’s many benefits is a less propensity for nausea and vomiting. Opioids and related pharmaceuticals have long been the standard treatment for chronic pain, including that associated with the back; nausea and vomiting are potential reactions to these. Thus, many people would rather take marijuana than other medicines because it effectively combats nausea and pain. Many states have, therefore, authorized the use of medical marijuana for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. In fact, for many years, cancer patients have relied on marijuana’s appetite-stimulating and nausea-calming properties to get through treatment.
Inflammation
The anti-inflammatory benefits of marijuana are substantial. It is a natural material used to treat arthritis-related inflammation and degenerative changes in the spine. Significantly, degenerative changes in the spine are the leading cause of chronic back pain. As a result, many people with inflammatory pain prefer medical marijuana.
Conclusion
According to several studies, cannabis benefits patients with chronic back pain. Talk to a registered medical marijuana physician about your treatment choices if you are experiencing debilitating back pain and are interested in learning more about the potential benefits of using cannabis for medical purposes.
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