Despite patient interest, few physicians recommend marijuana for musculoskeletal pain
Despite high patient satisfaction reports and increased interest, 26% of cannabis users with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recommended by a physician to use cannabis for pain management, according to published results.
The study, performed by researchers from the department of surgery at the University of Toronto, included 629 patients who reported chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, according to the study abstract.
Cannabis-using patients were evaluated for rate and pattern of cannabis use, as well as self-reported efficacy, while non-users were questioned on interest and barriers to use.
“Among those included, 22% (N=140) have used cannabis with the specific intent to manage their chronic MSK pain. These patients were more likely to be younger and have multiple comorbid conditions, specifically depression, back pain, chronic pelvic pain, and chronic neck pain,” the researchers wrote in the abstract. “They were also more likely to report a greater burden of pain, including a greater total number of painful areas, a history of pain clinic visits, a longer duration of a painful condition, and a higher rate of pain medication use, specifically muscle relaxants and opioids,” the researchers added.
Twenty-six percent of cannabis users were recommended use by a physician, with most patients receiving their recommendation from friends or family, according to the abstract.
“The majority of cannabis users (90%) did report that cannabis was effective in managing their chronic MSK pain, 57% reported it to be more effective than other pain medications at managing their chronic MSK pain and 40% reported that using cannabis resulted in a decrease in the use of other pain medications,” the researchers wrote. “Among cannabis non-users (N=489), 65% reported an interest in cannabis to manage their chronic MSK pain; however, common barriers to use were a lack of knowledge regarding efficacy, access, and commonly used products, doses and routes of administration,” they added.
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