Global health researchers estimate that more than 350 million people around the world suffer from some form of arthritis. Arthritis is defined as painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints. Symptoms of arthritis include pain and swelling, as well as the affected joint(s) being a different color than usual. The affected joint(s) may also not be able to move or stretch as much as they used to.

There are various ways that arthritis is commonly treated, including:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen and naproxen sodium)
• Creams and ointments containing menthol or capsaicin
• Steroids
• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
• Physical therapy
• Surgery

Medical cannabis is an increasingly common form of treatment among arthritis patients, either with a doctor’s approval or via self-medication. Cannabis and arthritis were the focus of a recent survey conducted by health researchers based in Canada. The survey’s results were published in the Journal of International Medical Research.

“This cross-sectional study was designed with the objective of evaluating patients’ perceptions regarding the effect of cannabis on arthritis pain. Patients with arthritis pain presenting at one of three orthopedic clinics were asked to complete the study questionnaire. Outcomes were the perceived effect of cannabis on arthritic pain (measured using the continuous visual analog scale, with scores ranging from 0% to 100%) and association between preferences, attitudes, and barriers to the clinical use of cannabis for arthritic pain (evaluated using multivariable linear regression analyses).” the researchers wrote about their survey.

“The study included 406 patients, including 105 (26.3%) who had already previously used cannabis for medical purposes and 63 (15.8%) who had used it during the past year. Approximately one-third of the patients who were prescribed opioids (78/256, 30.5%) had used them in the last week. On an average, patients stated that cannabis could treat 53.6% ± 2.6% of their pain (95% confidence interval = 51.1%–56.1%) and helped them replace 50.4% ± 3.2% of their analgesic medications (95% confidence interval = 47.2%–53.6%).” the researchers found.

Other studies have found that medical cannabis is effective at treating arthritis. A clinical trial in Thailand previously determined that cannabis oil mitigates osteoarthritis knee pain. British researchers found that patients with inflammatory arthritis reported reduced pain and sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life in an arthritis study they conducted.