The results suggested that THC may relieve sciatica pain by interrupting signals between pathways in the brain that process pain. For those concerned about the psychoactive effects of THC, they can find some relief for their sciatica by taking CBD, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical compound found naturally in cannabis plants. While research is ongoing on its effects, some studies suggest that CBD may offer relief from pain and inflammation.
For this reason, some people use CBD to help relieve sciatica symptoms. While CBD alone hasn't been studied as much as THC alone or CBD and THC combined for neuropathy, some studies have shown that CBD helps with neuropathic pain in diabetes. For many patients who experience sciatica, nerve pain, numbness, and tingling in the lower back radiating down the leg, it can have important implications for completing daily activities. Studies on sciatica and CBD have not yet been published, so there is no way to know for sure how effective CBD would be for this condition.
The study followed patients with conceivable causes of sciatica for 12 months and evaluated patients for pain and range of motion. Because THC is the intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis, higher doses of THC can cause side effects such as changes in mood and perception, increased appetite, drowsiness, and deterioration in work and other daily activities. Those who received placebos reported an average pain level of 43, a difference enough to indicate that THC did have an effect. Since cannabis helps with pain and, more specifically, neuropathic pain, this suggests that cannabis may also help with acute, throbbing pain that occurs in the lower back and radiates down the legs, known as sciatica.
With some evidence showing that CBD helps reduce pain and inflammation, two key symptoms of sciatica, CBD may help. For the first visit, nine participants were given an average of 15 milligrams of THC oil under their tongues and six were given placebo oil. Both pain indices and connections between brain areas involved in pain processing were reduced in the THC cohorts. This information is promising and requires further research with longer study periods to determine how effective cannabis treatment in general is for different types of nerve pain.
With many clinical trials showing that cannabis is effective for chronic pain and neuropathic pain, cannabis seems to have potential as a treatment for sciatica, helping to reduce neuropathic pain in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and chronic pain in other conditions. Future studies are needed to examine how other components of the marijuana plant, such as cannabidiol, may be useful for pain relief in combination with THC. After treatment, participants who had received THC reported that their pain had decreased to an average of 35.
