When to Consider a Medical Cannabis Evaluation for Chronic Pain

Each day, chronic pain is casting a long shadow over your life, and you long to break free from the discomfort. Did you know that about one in five people in the United States faces the same battle? While there may be some comfort in knowing you’re not alone, it doesn’t help you find a solution for your pain.

At No Mercy Sports Medicine in Miami, Florida, Dr. Moisés Irizarry-Román hears you, and he wants to help. In this month’s blog post, we take a look at one treatment option for chronic pain — medical cannabis. Here’s when coming to see us for a medical cannabis evaluation might be in your best interest.

The frustration of dealing with chronic pain

While you’re the only one who can make the final decision about your treatment plan for chronic pain, we can offer a few reasons why medical cannabis is gaining so much traction.

Chronic pain as a disease

Sometimes people say that the pain is “all in your head” — but in truth, this accusation is quite accurate for all pain. When you experience pain, your nerves relay messages to your brain, which modulates the response.

If you’re experiencing chronic pain, the ongoing activity of the neurons in your brain make them more excitable and more perceptive to pain. In other words, the longer your pain prevails, the more your nervous system adjusts to this state, rendering the pain a diagnosis all its own.

Chronic pain and your mental health

The effects that chronic pain can have on your mental health are substantial. Consider that 35%-45% of people with chronic pain develop depression. Chronic pain and mental health issues like mood disorders and anxiety share many of the same neural pathways, which means they can become intertwined.

Avoiding medications

Thanks to the drug overdose crisis in the US, which claimed more than 100,000 lives in 2021, many people are looking for non-opioid solutions for chronic pain. 

How medical cannabis answers the call

Cannabis works with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that already exists in your body. Your ECS includes receptors in your central and peripheral nervous systems that, among other functions, modulate pain and control inflammation.

For each of the concerns we outline above, medical cannabis provides a good solution because:

• It works with your ECS to control pain, preventing it from becoming a state that your body gets stuck in
• It not only relieves pain, but it can also improve the symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety and depression
• It’s a more natural approach to pain management that can help you avoid risky opioid medications

Again, how you manage your pain is up to you, but we want you to know that if you’re interested in exploring medical cannabis further, we can help. 

The first step is to come and see us for a medical cannabis evaluation. To get started, contact No Mercy Sports Medicine by calling the office at 305-614-6757.