88% of spinal cord injury patients reported cannabis reduced their neuropathic pain by more than 30%, and 83% reported substituting pain medications including opioids and gabapentinoids.
SCI rehabilitation specialists, pain management physicians, and medical cannabis researchers.
87.9% reported >30% pain reductionfrom cannabis among spinal cord injury patients with neuropathic pain averaging 6.8/10 severity
What the researchers found
87.9% reported >30% pain reduction from cannabis, 92.3% reported cannabis helped them deal with pain symptoms, and 83.3% substituted pain medications with cannabis, most commonly opioids (47%), gabapentinoids (42.8%), and OTC medications (42.2%).
Why it matters
SCI neuropathic pain affects 60% of patients and often resists treatment. These high patient-reported benefit rates and medication substitution patterns warrant further controlled investigation.
The numbers in context
342 recruited, 227 enrolled. Average pain intensity 6.8/10. 87.9% reported >30% pain reduction. 92.3% reported improved pain management. 83.3% substituted medications: opioids 47%, gabapentinoids 42.8%, OTC 42.2%.
How the study worked
Anonymous online survey of current and previous cannabis users with SCI-related neuropathic pain, recruited from US opt-in listservs.
Who was studied
227 US adults with spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain who used cannabis.
What this study cannot tell us
Self-selected sample biased toward those with positive experiences. No control group. Self-reported pain measures. Cross-sectional design. Cannot verify SCI diagnosis or cannabis use.
How to read the evidence
Self-selected survey without controls; compelling patient-reported outcomes but subject to significant bias.
When this study was published
Recent survey of SCI cannabis users in the US.
The bigger picture
The high rates of reported pain reduction and medication substitution in this notoriously treatment-resistant pain condition provide strong rationale for rigorous clinical trials of cannabis for SCI neuropathic pain.
Replication
Self-selected survey; randomized controlled trials needed.
Funding
Not specified in abstract
Conflicts of interest
Not specified in abstract
Questions still open
- Would placebo-controlled trials confirm these patient-reported benefits?
- What cannabis formulations and routes are most effective for SCI neuropathic pain?
Read the original research
A preliminary study evaluating self-reported effects of cannabis and cannabinoids on neuropathic pain and pain medication use in people with spinal cord injury.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 4, 1297223
Citation
Kinnunen, Kristiina; Robayo, Linda E; Cherup, Nicholas P; Frank, Scott I; Widerström-Noga, Eva. (2023). A preliminary study evaluating self-reported effects of cannabis and cannabinoids on neuropathic pain and pain medication use in people with spinal cord injury.. Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 4, 1297223. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2023.1297223