Purpose
With the increasingly widespread availability of cannabidiol-derived products, more
patients with hand and wrist pain are seeking evidence for use of these products.
We explored current utilization practices of medical cannabis for treatment of pain
in patients with a diagnosis of thumb basal joint arthritis. Secondary aims were to
determine patient and thumb arthritis disease characteristics of cannabis users and
nonusers and to investigate patient perceptions of the efficacy of medical cannabis
in various formulations for the treatment of thumb arthritis pain.
Methods
Patients with thumb basal joint arthritis were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes between May and June 2020. All patients received an invitation to complete
a survey regarding perceptions of cannabis and related products. Medical records were
retrospectively reviewed to gather demographic information and thumb basal joint arthritis
factors, including laterality, date of initial diagnosis, and prior treatment.
Results
The survey was completed by 103 patients. Twenty-five percent reported a history of
oral medical cannabis use, and 21% reported topical medical cannabis use. Twelve of
25 oral users and 7 of 21 topical users believed that the product was effective in
relieving pain and consequently worth the financial cost. Of the patients surveyed,
69% would be interested in trialing an oral formulation and 80% would be interested
in trialing a topical formulation for treatment of their thumb pain.
Conclusions
Patients with thumb basal joint arthritis use cannabis-related products, with mixed
reports on efficacy. Large numbers of these patients would be interested in trialing
either oral or topical formulations of medical cannabis for treatment of their thumb
basal joint pain.
Clinical relevance
It is important for medical providers to understand the current data available regarding
analgesic properties of cannabidiol-related products to respond to patient inquiries
about the use of cannabinoids in treating medical conditions.
Key words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Hand SurgeryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The medicinal use of cannabis in the UK: results of a nationwide survey.Int J Clin Pract. 2005; 59: 291-295
- Cannabinoids for the treatment of rheumatic diseases—where do we stand?.Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018; 14: 488-498
- Clinicians’ guide to cannabidiol and hemp oils.Mayo Clin Proc. 2019; 94: 1840-1851
- Pharmacology of medical cannabis.Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 1162. Springer LLC, 2019: 151-165
- Legal and regulatory issues governing cannabis and cannabis-derived products in the United States.Front Plant Sci. 2019; 10: 697
- The cannabinoid system and pain.Neuropharmacology. 2017; 124: 105-120
- Who is using cannabis as a medicine and why: an exploratory study.J Psychoactive Drugs. 2000; 32: 435-443
- The perceived effects of smoked cannabis on patients with multiple sclerosis.Eur Neurol. 1997; 38: 44-48
- Cannabis for chronic pain: case series and implications for clinicians.Pain Res Manag. 2002; 7: 95-99
United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts: Virginia. Available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/VA. Accessed April 19, 2021.
- Cannabinoids and autoimmune diseases: a systematic review.Autoimmun Rev. 2016; 15: 513-528
- Early blockade of joint inflammation with a fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor decreases end-stage osteoarthritis pain and peripheral neuropathy in mice.Arthritis Res Ther. 2017; 19: 106
- Cannabinoid-mediated antinociception is enhanced in rat osteoarthritic knees.Arthritis Rheum. 2008; 58: 145-153
- Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis.Pain. 2017; 158: 2442-2451
- Management of osteoarthrosis of the thumb joints.J Hand Surg Am. 2015; 40: 843-850
- Mechanisms and mediators that drive arthritis pain.Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2015; 13: 216-224
- Osteoarthritis: the genesis of pain.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018; 57: iv43-iv50
- The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000; 97: 9561-9566
- GP and patient perspectives on treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis.Curr Med Res Opin. 2002; 18: 92-96
- Cannabis and joints: scientific evidence for the alleviation of osteoarthritis pain by cannabinoids.Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2018; 40: 104-109
- Yahoo News/Marist Poll: Weed & The American Family.(Available at:)
- Cannabis use, attitudes, and legal status in the US: a review.Prev Med (Baltim). 2017; 104: 13-23
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 07, 2021
Accepted:
October 20,
2021
Received:
February 10,
2021
Footnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.
