Khak Mohammad, Ramtin Sina, Chung Juliet, Ilyas Asif M, Greis Ari
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia, USA.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Foundation for Opioid Research & Education, Philadelphia, USA.
Cureus. 2025 May 14;17(5):e84102. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84102. eCollection 2025 May.
Medical cannabis (MC) is being used with greater frequency in the management of chronic pain. While its efficacy in pain relief is promising, questions about patterns of use and efficacy warrant further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate long-term MC use patterns, perceived efficacy, and its impact on cognition among patients with chronic musculoskeletal noncancer pain.
This prospective study included patients who were certified for MC between October 2022 and December 2024. Patients who were certified for MC under Pennsylvania state guidelines for a minimum of one year were tracked, yielding 129 patients for analysis. The patients completed an Inventory of Medical Cannabis Use (IMCU) questionnaire assessing usage patterns, dosage knowledge, efficacy, cognitive effects, and tolerance changes. The responses were collected in a password-protected database.
A total of 77.5% of patients reported using MC daily or near daily. Topical formulations were most frequently used (63.6%). Approximately half of the respondents were uncertain of their exact tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol (THC/CBD) dosage, with a median oral dose of 10 mg recorded among those who provided estimates. High levels of perceived efficacy were reported, with over 93% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that MC improved their primary symptoms. Cognitive and motor effects were minimal for most users, with 72.1% reporting no impact. Furthermore, 79.8% of respondents indicated stable usage patterns over the prior three months, and very few reported a need or external suggestion to reduce MC intake.
Long-term MC use is a stable and well-tolerated option for managing chronic musculoskeletal pain, with high patient-reported efficacy and minimal cognitive impact. These findings support its role in pain management while highlighting the need for further research on optimal dosing and long-term safety.
医用大麻（MC）在慢性疼痛管理中的使用频率越来越高。虽然其在缓解疼痛方面的疗效很有前景，但关于使用模式和疗效的问题仍需进一步研究。本研究旨在评估慢性肌肉骨骼非癌性疼痛患者长期使用MC的模式、感知疗效及其对认知的影响。
这项前瞻性研究纳入了2022年10月至2024年12月期间获得MC使用认证的患者。对根据宾夕法尼亚州指导方针获得MC使用认证至少一年的患者进行跟踪，最终有129名患者可供分析。患者完成了一份医用大麻使用清单（IMCU）问卷，评估使用模式、剂量知识、疗效、认知影响和耐受性变化。回答被收集到一个受密码保护的数据库中。
共有77.5%的患者报告每天或几乎每天使用MC。局部用制剂使用最为频繁（63.6%）。大约一半的受访者不确定其确切的四氢大麻酚/大麻二酚（THC/CBD）剂量，在提供估计值的受访者中，口服剂量中位数记录为10毫克。报告的感知疗效水平较高，超过93%的受访者同意或强烈同意MC改善了他们的主要症状。大多数使用者的认知和运动影响最小，72.1%的人报告没有影响。此外，79.8%的受访者表示在过去三个月中使用模式稳定，很少有人报告需要或受到外部建议减少MC摄入量。
长期使用MC是管理慢性肌肉骨骼疼痛的一种稳定且耐受性良好的选择，患者报告的疗效高，对认知的影响最小。这些发现支持了其在疼痛管理中的作用，同时强调了对最佳剂量和长期安全性进行进一步研究的必要性。
