Cannabis and Sciatica Relief

Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury causing pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own. Sciatica originates in the lower back and travel through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of each leg.

Common Sciatica Causes

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Lumbar herniated disc- irritates or pinches a nerve and causes pain down the leg

Degenerative disc disease- degenerated discs in the lower back can also irritate a nerve root causing sciatica.

Isthmic spondylolisthesis- small stress fracture allows one vertebral body to slip forward on another; pinching nerves causing sciatica

Lumbar spinal stenosis- overgrowth of soft tissue, and a bulging disc placing pressure on the nerve roots, causing sciatica pain.

Cannabis Vs Traditional Medicine

There’s an endless amount of research outlining how cannabis has effectively helped patients manage back pain without side effects and without having to resort to opioid’s or painkillers. Opiod’s and other pain killers are known to have long term detrimental side effects including:

Nausea and vomiting.
Abdominal distention and bloating.
Constipation.
Liver damage (especially prevalent in abuse of drugs that combine opiates with acetaminophen).
Brain damage due to hypoxia, resulting from respiratory depression.
Development of tolerance
Dependence/Addiction

Cannabis on the other hand has little to no long term side effects and is not addictive. On the contrary, cannabis has been known to help reduce chronic pain in both men and women for years.

CBD VS THC

There are many different strains of medical marijuana that can be beneficial for patients with sciatica. Each strain works differently based on the individual, but often THC heavy strains are chosen to combat pain. CBD, however, is extremely helpful at reducing inflammation, which could serve to decrease the cause of the pain.