Complimentary Medicine for Spinal Cord Injury

An abrupt, tragic accident often results in spinal cord injury (SCI) leaving the casualty in shock, terror and severe pain. Auto accidents, sports injuries and life-altering falls are activities that too often result in long-term hospitalization coupled with a long road to recovery.  Even with quality medical care, sadly SCI’s frequently result in some form of paralysis where arms, hands, trunk, legs and pelvic organs are all affected; termed tetraplegia or quadriplegia.  The other form is paraplegia, where paralysis affects all or part of the trunk, legs and pelvic organs but not the arms. While SCI’s commonly leave one permanently disabled, patients wish to be pain free, independent and maintain some quality of life.  SCI patients may turn to medical marijuana as a complimentary treatment for the vast array of injury-associated ailments.

 

 

What are the most common effects of spinal cord injury (SCI)?

• Bladder and bowel problems
• Difficulty breathing
• Weakness or inability to walk
• Extreme back pain
• Spasticity
• Changes in sexual function
• Loss of movement
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities
• Chronic Pain
• Loss of sensation
• Problems walking
• Unnatural positioning of the head
• Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) sudden and severe high blood pressure (hypertension) and headache
• Difficulty with balance and coordination
• Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
• Insomnia

“Globally, between 250,000 and 500,000 patients each year suffer a spinal cord injury. Most of these cases are due to preventable causes such as violence and motor vehicle accidents. In the United States, there are approximately 17,000 new cases of SCI each year, and roughly 282,000 persons are estimated to be living with SCI. Males represent the majority of patients with SCI related to athletic accidents. The age group with the highest risk of SCI is from 16 to 30 years of age.”

Those suffering with SCI’s are best managed in neurological intensive care units followed by intense rehabilitation therapy under the guidance of physiatrists, physical therapists and occupational therapists.  People who have had a spinal cord injury often experience mental, emotional and social side effects.  “Several medications have had trials to help with improving outcomes in SCI, but the results have not shown significant benefits.”  SCI patients are often left searching for relief from their suffering with no respite in sight.  Cannabis is becoming more globally acceptable as a treatment for patients with disabilities, because it’s pharmacological benefits can’t be denied.

There is supportive, “evidence from randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of medical cannabis and cannabinoids for treating,” chronic and acute pain, insomnia, nausea, bladder dysfunction, neurologic conditions, psychological burdens, as well as movement disorders including spasticity and tremors.  While some patients must continue taking opioids for life, “co-administration of cannabis or cannabinoids with opioids is safe,” and may permit the patient to implement lower doses of opioids.

 

What are the treatment options for SCI?

• Physical therapy
• Prescriptions drugs
• Assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, and leg braces
• Adaptive devices for communication
• Occupational therapy
• Techniques for self-grooming and bladder and bowel management
• Coping strategies for spasticity and pain
• Vocational therapy
• Recreational therapy
• Healthy diets/meal planning (obesity and diabetes are potential risk factors for those with SCI)
• Functional electrical stimulation for assistance with restoration of neuromuscular function, sensory function, or autonomic function (e.g., bladder, bowel, or respiratory function)
• Medical marijuana

Cannabinoids found in medical marijuana are advancing in the medical field.  “Investigators at the University of Sao Paul, Brazil examined the impact of CBD on motor function post-SCI. They discovered CBD can help improve motor function. The study was done on rats that received injections of both placebo and CBD. These injections were done 3 hours after surgery and daily for six days after surgery. Researchers say the CBD needs to be taken within days of the injury. CBD also has a slew of helpful side-effects such as easing muscle spasms and relief from insomnia. Make sure to talk to your doctor before taking any CBD-related products.”

Indica and sativa cannabis varieties are largely consumed to reap their medicinal benefits. Ross M. (verified purchase) – June 2, 2021, explains, “I suffer from intractable pain and after medicating I felt a decent sense of relief” from a popular indica-forward strain known as San Fernando Valley Kush (SFV OG).  A strain such as Purple Skunk offers a wide variety of attributes that are commonly used to relieve many symptoms associated with SCI.  The Gorilla Glue #4 (GG4) cultivar is an indica forward composite cross strain and patients who dose it, such as Blue (verified purchase) – March 15, 2023, offer testimony, “good strong pain relief.”