Medical marijuana and spinal cord injury symptoms can be a perfect match. After two decades of research, scientists are still scratching their heads over how marijuana works to decrease pain and muscle spasms in spinal cord injury patients. The latest news suggests medical marijuana may be more complex than previously thought.
The conclusion came out of Temple University School of Medicine where researchers found that a unique genetic mutation could explain why some people with spinal injuries feel immediate relief from medical marijuana while others never experience the same results despite the fact they smoke the whole plant equally.
However, even though it seems like THC is not the only active ingredient required for producing effective pain relief management results through smoking medical marijuana, there is also no evidence that CBD provides any significant benefit either…yet. So you will not want to dispose of your Indica dominant hybrids. More cannabinoids are waiting to be discovered. In the meantime, let’s have a look at what we already know about marijuana and spinal cord injury.
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
Spastication is a condition that occurs when your muscles are contracted or tightened inexplicably. It is common for the patient to have a severe injury to the spinal cord or who has damaged the part of the brain that regulates voluntary movement. Your brain and spinal cord nerves form a complex message chain that regulates and moves your body. When you hurt your spinal cord it can destroy the normal flow of messages that can no longer be delivered to your brain. This data is sent back to the neuronal cell and causing a reflex muscle spasm. This can result in muscles twitches and jerking. Just about any motion, irritation or touch is likely to cause or sustain muscle spasms.
Types and levels of Spinal Cord Injury
Damage caused by a nerve causes a form of paralysis. Tetraplegia paralyzes most torso legs or pelvis regions. Paraplegia affects the hands, shoulders, and trunk of someone’s leg and pelvic organ. Incomplete spinal nerve damage is the loss of some sensory perceptions and motor functions below the injury. Depending on the severity of the injury, an incomplete injury can cause various degrees of disability across the body. There are two major types of injury: Complete and Incomplete. An incomplete injury causes varying levels of paralysis around the body and can result in paralysis in parts of the limbs and legs.
Effects of Spinal Cord Injury
Since spinal nerve damage can potentially cause long-term physical damage it was recommended that you see a qualified health care specialist. If someone has a vertebral fracture due to injury or trauma and no treatment can occur, a bone deformity can occur which is typically fatal. Another example would be an untreated herniated disc. This may lead to painful and severe nerve damage. Two cases. Plenty of other disc injuries require medical treatment like an undiagnosed disc injury or nerve injury but many other spinal injuries require medical attention.
What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?
It can happen anytime you go skiing, diving, or playing a contact sport. A spinal cord injury usually results from sudden movements especially when they are violent ones, such as car accidents or sports injuries. The body hits an immovable object while moving with great force and the spine is unable to bend in this kind of scenario so there is a high risk of damaging it severely. Besides that, diseases like tumors, infection, and degenerative disorders can also damage the spine and cause paralysis. In addition, aging itself deteriorates blood flow within the vertebrae. Consequently, the discs between the vertebrae dry up and crack, which can affect nerve function.
The most common area to be injured is the neck because it has the least amount of protection out of all sections of your spine. We all know how vulnerable it feels when compared to other parts surrounding it like your ribs or pelvis… Now imagine what would happen to your spinal cord if that happened to you! That’s right; you could end up with an incomplete or full spinal cord injury depending on how serious things are.
The Spinal Cord Can Be Compressed
Spinal trauma leads to neurological issues everywhere inside the body including muscles, blood vessels, and glands so these injuries should always be taken seriously. The higher up on the spinal cord the damage is, the more severe symptoms could be. The spinal cord itself does not have any pain receptors so you won’t feel anything if it gets injured and that’s why people often ignore their symptoms until it becomes way worse than they should. On top of that, lack of sensation makes the condition even harder to diagnose at first glance because we’re not aware of what our bodies should be feeling.
The main function of your central nervous system is to send signals from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa so when this connection weakens or stops working properly because there is a problem somewhere in between, medical marijuana for spinal cord injury symptoms can help compensate for the loss by providing relief where other therapies might fail.
Cannabis and Spinal Cord Injuries
Originally in the early 1970s studies focused specifically on the effectiveness of cannabis to prevent spasticity and to combat pain and the spasticity found in spinal cord injury. Medical marijuana offers an alternative treatment for persistent or severe adverse health symptoms that often take a toll on life quality. Still, clinical trials are needed to identify the effective SCI medication with fewer side effects or more addictive potential.
Medical Marijuana for Spinal Cord Injury With Spasticity
Cannabis Sativa is also treated for spasticity associated with SCI. Most people tolerate the side effects of medical pot without problems. As with multiple sclerosis, you will probably need extended medical care. Medical cannabis can have some side consequences. These include painting spasticity and rehabilitating the pain caused by spinal cord laceration. Medical cannabis displays promise notably as well as SCI in multiple sclerosis. Medical marijuana and spinal cord injury alternative treatments can further aid patients who have found that other therapeutic measures have been insufficient in treating this type of.
What the Science Says About Chronic Pain and Medical Cannabis
There is plenty of evidence backing up the use of medical marijuana and spinal cord injury. Studies have shown that medical marijuana works perfectly to manage pain caused by muscle spasms because it contains a chemical called cannabinoids which stops nerve cells from sending signals back-and-forth. This mechanism works both when your central nervous system sends distress signals because there is something wrong inside your body and when external factors, such as injury or illness, are responsible for overloading the signal.
Another study has confirmed that CBD can limit inflammation within injured tissues especially if they are in contact with neurons while THC will work on relieving pain symptoms. All you need to know about how medical marijuana and spinal cord injury is that this chemical duo can act both in the brain and in the area where the damage occurred.
How Can Spinal Cord Injury Patients Use Medical Marijuana?
The best thing about medical marijuana for spinal cord injury is that users do not need to smoke it or inject it into their bloodstreams because there are many products available today which will work just fine. Indica hybrids usually provide more CBD than THC so they are great painkillers while Sativa-dominant cannabis might be better at reducing inflammation overall. Smoking, vaping, edibles, capsules. You have plenty of options when it comes to delivery systems so you should give all of them a try before making up your mind.
Medical cannabis has been used successfully to treat all kinds of conditions related to nerve tissue damage. These include issues with vision, pain relief, sleep problems, mood swings, and more so even if there are no studies specifically focused on spinal cord injuries right now, this is something you have to consider trying especially if you’ve exhausted all other therapy options.
While there are plenty of nerve-related pathologies which can be treated using medical marijuana and spinal cord injury symptoms, that’s not the only thing medical cannabis has to offer. Patients who were previously diagnosed with serious conditions such as epilepsy are now able to live a perfectly normal life because cannabis helped them manage their symptoms so why wouldn’t it work for someone recovering from an accident or dealing with chronic severe pain from spinal cord injuries? You just need to find out what works best for you…
Which Strains of Medical Marijuana to Use for Spinal Cord Injury?
There have been reports that certain strains are helpful for some SCI patients. You may want to experiment yourself and work with your budtender and cannabis doctor. You should also think about the hours of the day you’ll need the care and the level of psychoactivity you need. For example, Sativa strains should be stored for use on the day while Indicas should be avoided for use at night. You should research the ratio between THC and CBD to determine when to use the strain and when to use them for symptoms related to a spinal cord injury. It is essential to speak with your medical marijuana doctor for medical advice and guidance.
How and Why Marijuana is an Effective Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury?
The use of medical marijuana appears to be a useful treatment approach to treating a spinal cord injury. Extreme and/or persistent muscle spasms are also qualified conditions for medical marijuana in many states. Patients in other states should see a physician who is treating their ailments with medically valid cannabis or otherwise. Severe and persistent muscle spasms qualify as medical uses in many states. Patients must work with medical marijuana doctors to determine if their condition qualifies.
Medical Marijuana and Spinal Cord Injury
There is plenty of evidence suggesting that medical marijuana can provide great relief for people with spinal cord injuries so if you are dealing with chronic severe pain symptoms or your muscles are weak because you have poor blood circulation due to spinal cord injuries, medical marijuana is something worth trying. You do not even need to stop using other medications unless your doctor insists on it but keep in mind that this alternative therapy might help you manage the symptoms that the drugs don’t cover which means that you will need fewer painkillers overall. Now you know about some of the alternatives for symptoms associated with your spinal cord injury condition and now is the best time to act.