top of page

Cannabinoids in Orthopedics

Updated: Mar 22, 2023

Cannabis sativa derivatives, or cannabinoids, are making their way into many of our pain strategies. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the most popular because of the lack of psychotropic effects. Deckey et al. found a 25 percent prevalence of CBD use in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis treated non-operatively.

MOA

Cannibinoids function on endocannabinoid systems and have an antagonistic effect on Cannbinoid receptor 1 and 2 (CB1, CB2). CB2 receptors are found on immune cells which represents one theory on why CBD acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. A recent review concluded that the effectiveness of cannabinoids as a therapeutic agent remains ambiguous.

CBD + foot and ankle

No published literature exists in the foot and ankle space with Cannabinoids. Perhaps the one study that may translate to foot and ankle is topical application of (1)CBD cream vs. (2)shea butter without CBD for basal thumb OA. Results from this study showed statistically significant improvement in visual analog scale for pain favoring the CBD cream.


Buyer beware

Cannibinoids remain generally unregulated; there is no designated medical grade and dose concentrations are variable.

Recent Posts

See All

Wound Care Business in Crisis

BioAventis has agreed to sell its wound business to LifeNet Health, which includes skin substitutes TheraSkin and TheraGenesis. The transaction includes a total cash consideration of $85 million. Indu

Foot and Ankle Leadership News

Dr. Ned Amendola MD, FAAOS, FRCS(C) from Duke University was named second vice president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and will ascend to president in 2025-2026. Fellowship tra

Novastep Deal Consumated

As speculated in February 2023 FIX, Enovis announced early this week that it has consummated a deal for Novastep with the MIS bunion system being the prize along with access to a robust OUS sales chan

FIX Masthead 2000x318 v2.jpg
bottom of page