How Medical Marijuana Can Relieve Pain

Medical marijuana is becoming an increasingly beneficial and reliable treatment for a variety of health conditions, including chronic pain. This remedy may be the solution you’re looking for when other therapies aren’t working well.

At AABP Integrative Pain Care, we offer medical marijuana as a treatment option for a range of pain conditions that disrupt your life. Our board-certified pain management specialists have extensive experience using medical marijuana for ongoing pain control.

We offer comprehensive evaluations to confirm your diagnosis and can discuss your options for adding medical marijuana to your care plan when other treatments aren’t providing sufficient pain relief.

Our medical marijuana services meet the New York State Medical Cannabis Program regulations and guidelines.

An overview of medical marijuana

Medical marijuana derives from the cannabis plant, which contains over 100 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Two of the primary compounds in cannabis are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Recreational marijuana typically contains higher amounts of THC than medical marijuana. THC is the compound that produces a psychoactive ‘high’ effect when the plant is smoked or eaten, which triggers a euphoric feeling in users.

CBD doesn’t have the same intoxicating effect as THC but has been shown to aid in the relief of pain and inflammation.

How medical marijuana works on pain

Medical marijuana is beneficial for treating a range of chronic pain conditions, including:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

The pain-relieving benefits of medical marijuana stem from the binding of active cannabinoids to the pain receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This binding disrupts nerve pain signals before they travel to the brain to support chronic pain relief.

Medical marijuana may be a safer alternative to opioids, a class of pain-relieving drugs that have a high risk for addiction when not used as prescribed.

Long-term opioid use causes changes in the brain that can ultimately make it difficult to stop using the drug without uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful, withdrawal symptoms.

Candidates for medical marijuana

While medical marijuana isn’t appropriate for every person, those who are interested in managing a chronic pain condition without opioids can benefit from this course of treatment.

Once our AABP Integrative Pain Care team identifies the source of your pain, they discuss all available treatment options with you. They base your treatment plan on your personal preferences, health history, and severity of your pain.

Medical marijuana may be an option for individuals with chronic pain who are at least 21 years old and willing to participate in other pain-relieving strategies, such as physical therapy, daily exercise, and lifestyle changes.

If you qualify for treatment with medical marijuana, our team provides a certification to purchase it from a dispensary approved by the New York State Medical Cannabis Program. They also continue to monitor your use of medical marijuana during follow-up visits to ensure this treatment offers effective pain control.

Call the AABP Integrative Pain Care office in Garden City or Brooklyn, New York, today to find out if medical marijuana is a good fit for you, or book an appointment online.