Cannabis and CBD for Back Pain

Back pain, also called lumbago, affects eight out of ten people during their life, according to MedlinePlus, the periodical for the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Back pain is either acute if coming on suddenly, and lasting for days to weeks, or chronic if the pain precedes three months. Both types of back pain that stem from varying conditions have successfully been treated with medical cannabis for its inflammatory and pain-numbing qualities from CBD and THC. 

Back Pain Symptoms

The Mayo Clinic reports signs and symptoms of back pain that begin with muscle ache. Shooting pain and discomfort that shoots down the leg or gets worse when bending and lifting are other signs. Back pain can be a sign of more severe illness if symptoms include bowel obstruction and fever. 

The U.S. National Institute of Health reports lower back pain types that stem from various health problems, including congenital, degenerative, and non-spine illnesses such as fibromyalgia and kidney stones. Medicine, alternative therapy, spinal injections, and surgery are the most notable treatments for back pain.

Leveraging THC & CBD for Back Pain

The International Journal of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine published a study in 2016 with conclusive evidence that medical cannabis can alleviate lower back pain. Up to 46 medically diagnosed patients who suffered from chronic lower back pain and found no relief from at least two narcotic drugs were used for the study. After being treated with 20 grams of cannabis per month at four daily doses, patients reported after the yearlong trial a positive effect from the plant smoked that “appear to improve both physical and mental function while decreasing pain levels of chronic low back pain sufferers.”

Verywell Health, an online wellness publisher, reported that in 2019 the lower back was increasingly added to conditions in many states who legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes. They say how Marinol, a federally approved synthetic-cannabis proves to help patients with AIDS and cancer who suffer from nausea and vomiting. While Marinol is labeled as a Schedule III drug, the actual plant with real THC qualities is branded a Schedule one, making it illegal. 

The University of Colorado began conducting a three-year cannabis verses Oxycodone study for back pain sufferers in 2017. Though results remain pending, Dr. Emily Lindley reports in the study highlights that past proof is enough to show THC and CBD relief lower back pain, noting the numbers were higher than imagined. 

“In a 2012 survey of 184 spine patients, roughly one in five reported that they used cannabis to relieve their pain. Of those, 85 percent said cannabis gave them at least moderate pain relief, and 77 percent said the relief was equal to or better than what they got from opioids,” reports UCHealth, non-profit Colorado healthcare system. Continued time and research will conclude if cannabis offers short or long-term relief from acute or chronic pain. In the meanwhile, many patients who suffer from the condition and seek successful relief with medical cannabis.