Study Affirms Cannabis Helps Reduce Neuropathic Pain Intensity From Spinal Cord Injury By 30%

Every year, between 250,000 and 500,000 people around the world suffer a spinal cord injury, a serious medical condition, which can result in severe morbidity and permanent disability. According to the National Library of Medicine, spinal cord injury happens when the axons of nerves going through the spinal cord are disrupted leading to loss of motor and sensory function below the injury. 

Following this type of injury, the most common type of pain is neuropathic pain which some patients describe as a burning, squeezing, aching or tight pain. It is oftentimes very hard to treat. 

A new survey conducted by the researchers from the University of Miami offers hope for those suffering from this kind of pain, writes Cannabis Science and Technology. The study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research suggests that cannabinoids can help people who suffer from neuropathic pain caused by spinal cord injury. 

Study Summary 

Researchers recruited 342 people, out of which 227 were selected to take part in an anonymous survey online. Participants were then questioned about the characteristics of their injuries, pain intensity, and current medications. 

The surveyed individuals reported "high moderate to severe" pain on average, and some 87.9% said that marijuana helped reduce their neuropathic pain intensity by more than 30%. As many as 92.3% confirmed cannabis helps them to better deal with neuropathic pain symptoms. 

The majority of participants (83.3%) reported replacing their pain medications with cannabis, with the most substituted medication categories being opioids (47.0%), gabapentinoids (42.8%) and over-the-counter pain medications (42.2%).

"These preliminary results suggest that cannabis and cannabinoids may be effective in reducing neuropathic pain among those with SCI and may help to limit the need for certain pain medications," the study authors wrote.

The researchers further noted that this study is among the first of its kind and that it highlighted the need for further research in this area.

Related Studies On Cannabis And Neuropathic Pain 

This is not the first study to indicate marijuana's potential in treating some form of neuropathic pain.

One study published in March by researchers at Drug Science, found cannabis could be effective in treating chronic neuropathic pain.

The paper documents the case of a 61-year-old woman with idiopathic small fiber neuropathy, who has been suffering from the associated neuropathic pain for 17 years. During that period, she was prescribed gabapentinoid pregabalin combined with various other agents like duloxetine and topical capsaicin. While these standard treatments helped her manage her pain at some level, the patient experienced unwanted side effects like hearing loss, tinnitus, sleepiness, confusion, and worsening anxiety.

After several months of cannabis treatment through Project Twenty21, one of Europe’s largest national medical cannabis registries, the patient said she was given a "second chance at life."

A more recent study highlighted the potential of medical cannabis in providing relief for neuropathic pain in a patient with Fabry disease, a genetic disorder characterized by severe, often treatment-resistant nerve pain.

See Also: Most Important Medical Potential Of Marijuana? Cannabis For Pain Relief Says Biotech CEO

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