Acute and chronic pain management remains an ongoing challenge for hand surgeons.
This has been compounded by the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States. With
the increasing legalization of medical and recreational cannabis throughout the United
States and other countries, previous societal stigmas about this substance keep evolving,
and recognition of medical cannabis as an opioid-sparing pain management alternative
is growing. A review of the current literature demonstrates a strong interest from
patients regarding the use of medical cannabis for pain control. Current evidence
demonstrates its efficacy and safety for chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain.
However, definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of cannabis for pain control
in hand and upper extremity conditions require continued investigation. The purpose
of this article is to provide a general review of the mechanism of medical cannabis
and a scoping review of the current evidence for its efficacy, safety, and potential
applicability in hand and upper extremity conditions.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 04, 2023
Accepted:
November 9,
2022
Received:
December 1,
2020
Footnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
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© 2023 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.
