No matter where I go, I always wind up talking shop- even when I’m on vacation. Back pain is everywhere, and someone always wants to bounce their thoughts on the topic off of me. This time, I was cornered at a wedding by someone who wanted to know what I thought about using marijuana for the treatment of their low back pain.
In the US, this is a way more complicated issue than it is where this conversation took place- Jamaica, where marijuana is often viewed as a cultural staple.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the changing laws regarding marijuana use for medicinal purposes. Several states have modified or completely rewritten their laws in recent months to either make pot easier or harder to get, depending upon where you live and upon your particular circumstances.
I don’t want to get into the legal aspects of marijuana use- it is far too complicated an issue to get into here. This wedding guest asked me point blank whether I thought pot was useful for the treatment of low back pain.
My answer to this question is in three parts:
1) I think marijuana is a good muscle relaxant, and additionally reduces the perception of pain such that pain sufferers do not notice it as much.
2) Too much marijuana can ultimately decrease your activity levels, keeping you from going out and re-establishing good body mechanics as the source of your pain heals/resolves. And…
3) there is frequently some weight gain associated with pot smoking (the oft cited ‘munchies’ are to blame) which can get in the way of recovery.
I have several patients from around the world who use pot as a method of reducing their pain, and for them it works. I would not condone using something that is illegal, but perhaps that situation will change in the not too distant future. In the mean time, there are several legal alternatives to marijuana- not the least of which would be one of Back Together’s fine products….
Thank you for visiting today. Please keep those cards & letters coming- you help to keep the discussion interesting.
-Andy
Half Moon, Rose Hall Jamaica
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, marijuana, Neck Pain, pain, pot
I’m fortunate enough to live in one of those states where medicinal marijuana is available with a doctor’s prescription. A few years ago I had a serious back injury that left me in serious pain, unable to stand upright, and hampered my ability to move at all (for the first few weeks I could only crawl and even that took about 30 minutes just to get across the room). When I was finally able to go to the doctor I was told I had several broken vertebra, disintegrating discs and a degenerative disc condition. Spinal fusion was the recommendation. That, and seriously heavy medication. I forget the name of the drug offhand, but it was some sort of opiate. Being in as much pain as I was, I took the medication regularly. Too regularly, because the recommended dosage just wasn’t enough to ease the pain. Needless to say it became an addiction and not taking the pills not only left me in pain, but with withdrawl sickness as well. I went to a second doctor who felt surgery was a last resort and put me into almost daily physical therapy. No drugs were prescribed, but he did hint at the fact that marijuana could help relieve some symptoms. After about 6 -8 months of PE I was back to as normal as I will ever be. During that time I smoked pot to help relieve the pain. I found marijuana was a much better medication than the pills I was taking for several reasons including, 1) I didn’t find myself increasing the dosage to combat my rising tolerance to the medication, 2) If I didn’t use the marijuana I didn’t have any withdrawl symptoms, 3) I was far more lethargic and “out of it” on the medication than when I smoked pot, 4) I wasn’t going to OD smoking marijuana, but when I was taking the “regular” medication I was taking so much that it probably would have killed anyone with lower tolerance than me, 5) I was a hell of a lot happier when I was high from the weed than when I was high on painkillers!