Can Medical Cannabis Relieve Arachnoiditis?

cannabis for arachnoiditis

One of the main reasons people look for marijuana is to deal with chronic pain. It does not matter what the cause of the pain is. In fact, sometimes it is hard to pinpoint the cause, but when you find something that brings relief, you tend to stick to it. When you suffer from something like arachnoiditis, you would know what I am talking about. It is a super painful condition where a constant burning sensation is ever-present.

What is Arachnoiditis?

We first have to understand what the arachnoid is to learn what arachnoiditis is. The arachnoid is one of the membranes that surround the nerves of the spinal cord. When these membranes swell and get inflamed, it causes pain. This condition is called arachnoiditis. The swelling of the membrane could be caused by injury, infection, or chronic compression of the spinal cord. Arachnoiditis causes episodes of unbearable pain. It often occurs as a sudden pain. It is not easy to predict where it sits and what the cause of it is. Conventional medications are also not always very effective. This is why something like medical cannabis offers a safer option.

Arachnoid inflammation often leads to scar tissue formation and cause the nerves in the spinal cord to stick together. This hinders the proper functioning of the spinal cord as a result.

What is the Cause of Arachnoiditis?

There are several possible causes of inflammation of the arachnoid membranes. Some of the possible causes are:

Direct injury to the spine

Chemicals – preservatives found in epidural steroid injections are often to blame. The dye in myelograms injected into the surrounding areas of the spinal cord and nerves also could cause damage.

Bacterial or viral infections – viral and fungal meningitis and tuberculosis could cause inflammation of the arachnoid membranes

Chronic compression of spinal nerves – chronic degenerative disc disease or advanced spinal stenosis cause constant compression that leads to inflammation

Complications from spinal surgery or other invasive spinal procedures – this could include multiple lumbar punctures

What Symptoms are there?

As is the case with so many other conditions in the body, the symptoms are not specific. An indication is pain derived from the nerves connected to the lower legs and back in most people. Though pain is the most common symptom, there are more symptoms related to arachnoiditis. These symptoms include the following:

Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs

A sensation of insects crawling on your skin or water trickling down your legs

Muscle spasms, cramps, and uncontrollable twitching

Severe shooting pain

Balance problems

Bladder, bowel, and sexual problems

Joint pain, fatigue, and loss of mobility

Sleeping problems

Depression and anxiety

People suffering from arachnoiditis could also have severe pain that goes down to their lower extremities. They might also suffer from hearing problems, severe headaches, vision problems, nausea, and dizziness. Some people also describe the pain like electric shocks. All these symptoms are because of alternation and impediment of the cerebral spinal fluid circulation. It is caused by clumped roots, fibrosis, and scar tissue. The more severe the arachnoiditis is, the more severe the symptoms become. Eventually it causes substantial disability due to constant pain. Finally, a person cannot work anymore.

Why Medical Marijuana is able to Help

Traditionally, medical doctors treat arachnoiditis with conventional pain killers. They focus mostly on the physical symptoms of the condition. They hardly ever take the psychological aspects into consideration, like the fear of extreme pain. This kind of fear could lead to emotional distress. This is where cannabis comes in. It is not just able to treat physical symptoms, but it can also treat emotional problems that would address arachnoiditis from both sides.

One of the main reasons people would opt for medical marijuana is pain relief. Arachnoiditis is not easy to treat. There is no cure and the treatment is limited to overcoming pain. Surgery is not a good option. Epidural steroid injections are also not advisable as they could worsen rather than better the condition. Pain management therapy often is the only way out. Medical cannabis is the safer option of the lot.

Cannabis has strong analgesic properties. Little to no side-effects are reported and cannabidiol helps to reduce inflammation and the tingling and numbing sensations often experienced. Living with chronic pain is super hard as it affects many aspects of your life. Arachnoiditis is not easy to treat. Researchers have now established that cannabis is efficient for treating several medical and pain issues. It is especially effective in treating neuropathic pain, chronic pain, and spasticity. The symptoms treatable with cannabis in arachnoiditis are:

Chronic pain

Depression due to chronic pain

Muscle spasm

Nausea due to chronic pain

Insomnia

Stress and headaches

Conclusion

If you are diagnosed with arachnoiditis, medical cannabis is a safe and effective option to get relief. Anyone of the many ways to use cannabis for medicinal purposes would work.