Does Marijuana Treat Muscle Spasticity

Spasticity is the contraction, stiffness and unintentional spasm of muscles. It can be painful to walk, drive, or talk while you have spasticity. It can be inconvenient and sometimes unpleasant.

As the nerve signals that regulate muscle activity are disrupted or impaired, spasticity develops. This can be caused by a number of disorders, including spinal cord injuries, brain injury, and illnesses including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS).

People with very weak legs, on the other hand, can recover from spasticity. The rigidity caused by spasticity will assist them in standing or walking. The purpose of therapy for these patients should be to alleviate discomfort while preserving the stiffness they need.

Symptoms of Muscle Spasticity

Spasticity attacks can vary in severity from moderate to debilitating and painful. Below are some signs and symptoms of spasticity:

Muscle Tension
Stiffness Of The Joints
Uncontrollable Jerky Gestures
Reflexes That Are Exaggerated
Muscle Spasms Irregular Stance
Odd Alignment Of Thumbs, Hands, Sides, Or Shoulders
Leg Crossing That Occurs Involuntarily And Is Referred To As "Scissoring" Since The Legs Move Like The Tip Of A Pair Of Scissors.
Difficulty Regulating The Muscles Used To Talk
Muscle Contraction That Restricts The Range Of Motion Or Stops Your Joints From Fully Spreading Pain In The Muscles And Joints Affected
Back Pain
Difficulty In Moving

Medication for Spasticity

Many medications are used to treat spasticity including an injection direct to the spastic muscle, a muscle relaxant, a sedative, a nerve blocker, and a calming medicine to tight and relax affected muscles. Any of these medications have unpleasant side effects including exhaustion, agitation, and nausea.

Standard treatment may help to alleviate pain to people with spasticity, they may not get complete relief due to the medicines’ unpleasant side effects. As a result, it's no wonder that more people are going to marijuana for help. Since muscle spasms are a frequent symptom in nearly all of these patients, scientists are investigating medicinal cannabis for spasticity as an alternative remedy.

Finding the right weed for spasticity strains can require some trial and error. The doctor will decide which strain or strains will help treat your symptoms based on your symptoms, medical records, and disease progression. You can get different strains of cannabis in every dispensary or weed delivery service in Santa Monica and throughout Los Angeles.

What Are the Benefits of Marijuana as a Treatment for Spasticity?

According to a study published in The Lancet, THC, one of the key cannabinoids in medical cannabis, helps relieve spasticity in MS patients. THC is taken up by the endocannabinoid gland, which inhibits lesion inflammation and increases muscle-nervous coordination. In addition, since marijuana decreases inflammation, it not only relieves pain but also protects against more nerve degeneration, slowing the disease's development.

The results of medical cannabis on spasticity of MS patients have been mixed in clinical tests. In one study, sufferers' subjective perceptions of muscle spasticity improved, but observers saw no such improvement and considered it to worsen coordination. Another research discovered a significant decrease in spasticity. This was not, however, a blind analysis. Nabilone, a synthetic THC, was shown to reduce spasticity in a single patient trial.

These results are in line with what other medicinal cannabis studies have discovered regarding the drug's effectiveness on the body. There's a lot of research that medical marijuana can affect the central nervous system, which is the source of a lot of spasticity. The endocannabinoid pathway can be found all over the human body. As a result, it's not a stretch to believe that medicinal cannabis can affect not only the source of the condition but also the spastic region in MS patients.

When it comes to spasticity, MS receives the most care. A spinal cord injury, on the other hand, is a common source of muscle spasticity. It's also a new field of study for medical marijuana. Spinal cord damage, like MS, can induce discomfort that can be treated with medical marijuana. Sativa strains and extracts can also be used to relieve spasticity caused by spinal cord damage.

Spinal cord injury patients, including MS patients, will almost often need long-term hospital attention. As a result, with these cases, people need healthy alternatives to sedatives and conventional pain relievers. In this place, too, medical marijuana is looking promising.

Spasticity Study on Medical Marijuana

Muscle spasticity was reduced in a paraplegic spinal cord injury patient who obtained THC in a double-blind trial. Furthermore, it was more effective than the codeine provided to the patient. This suggests that medical marijuana is not only a legitimate therapeutic option, but it could actually be more effective with some patients than other options.

The anecdotal data that medical marijuana works is staggering, just as it is with other diseases treated by it. In one study, almost all the 112 people with multiple sclerosis who took part in the survey had less muscle spasticity when they used marijuana. Another analysis on sensory sensations found that almost half of those who used medical marijuana had less spasticity.

This isn't conclusive proof. However, it is clear that medical marijuana will improve the quality of life for many people who suffer from spasticity. It also means that more research into the use of medical marijuana to treat spasticity is required. For chronic conditions, it is often important to use drugs that are safe, reliable, and well-tested. Unless there is a way to heal the harm that causes spasticity in the majority of cases, the medical profession must look at all options for providing relief to these people.

Conclusion

It's important to find a suitable pharmacy and specialist if you choose to use cannabis for spasticity care. Find a licensed cannabis specialist who will prescribe a care plan for you. You can also speak with staff at a dispensary or marijuana delivery, which will guide you in the correct direction for drugs and cannabis distribution systems that can help you manage your symptoms.

Book an appointment with a professionally experienced and certified weed specialist if you're suffering from spasticity and other symptoms and want to know if medicinal cannabis will help you.