The hallmarks of carpal tunnel syndrome are pain (burning, tingling, numbness) and inflammation with use of the wrist as a result of compression of the median nerve which is one of the nerves that goes to your hand (specifically the thumb, index, middle and half of the ring finger and the palm next to the thumb) Most commonly it is tied to overuse (repetitive motion) involving the affected wrist.    The pain can cause significant discomfort with loss of sleep and also loss of the ability to perform simple tasks pain free.  Other causes can be physical abnormalities (bone spurs, tumors, old healing fractures) and some systemic diseases such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.

Typically patients are treated with immobilization (splints) for 2-6 weeks and NSAID’s such as ibuprofen.    The main goal is reduce the amount of inflammation.    If rest and NSAID’s do not work orthopedic surgeons will sometimes perform corticosteroid injections to reduce inflammation.  If that fails then surgery can be recommended.

However, I typically recommend that patients use medical marijuana to help reduce pain, reduce inflammation and improve sleep  as an alternative to NSAID’s and sleeping pills at night. If patients work during the day then NSAIDS can be appropriate as it is illegal to drive and use cannabis.

Marijuana is a great medication for sleep.  Patients typically only have to use very small amounts of an INDICA strain which is much less psychoactive.   Meaning they don’t have to experience the “high” that most patients associate with marijuana use.    It can be vaporized 20 minutes prior to lying down.  Patients using the vaporization method are NOT exposing themselves to any smoke and there is next to NO SMELL.

The cannabinoids in the plant also act as potent anti-inflammatory agents.   Therefore any inflammation of the tendons (attach muscle to bone vs. ligaments which attach bone to bone) will also be reduced thus relieving the patient of their symptoms.

In light of continued studies showing an increase risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who regularly take NSAIDS (such as motrin/ibuprofen/diclofenac) I highly recommend limiting the amount of medications that you take.

If you have any questions about medical marijuana and want to see if you can benefit from it’s medicinal use feel free to give us a call at 877-721-0047 or pre-qualify for free online at www.mcsocal.com

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Many treatment options for neuropathic pain range from medications to nerve blocks to TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).  Because patients with neuropathic pain typically do not respond well to opiates (Percocet, Vicodin, Hydrocodone) there are other classes of drugs that are typically used.   Anticonvulsants such a gabapentin (neurontin), anti-depressants such as amitriptyline and corticosteroids such as prednisone are just three of many different drugs that patients typically try.  Most patients experience limited relief with this approach.  It is extremely important that the psychological effects of chronic pain are also addressed.

Many patients are unaware of the clinical research supporting the use of cannabis (marijuana) to treat neuropathic pain.  The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the UCSD has completed three clinical research studies demonstrating the efficacy of cannabis in treating neuropathic pain.  In the first study by Dr. Donald Abrams (Cannabis for treatment of HIV associated peripheral neuropathy) demonstrated that cannabis reduced daily pain by 34% vs 17% with placebo.  52% of patients using cannabis experienced a 30% reduction in pain compared to 24% in the placebo group.   For more clinical trials please visit the CMCR website at www.cmcr.ucsd.edu

In addition to cannabis’s analgesic (pain reduction) properties it also can improve patients mood from its euphoric properties.   This is an extremely important component in the overall care of pain patients.  Cannabis also has a safety profile which is unprecedented when compared to other treatment modalities.   It is a fact that there has never been one documented overdose from using cannabis.  In addition it does not cause a physical addiction like many other pharmaceuticals.  It will improve a patients appetite, assist with falling and staying asleep and eliminate the nausea often caused by opiate analgesics.   Once patients are educated on the safety and efficacy of marijuana (cannabis) they will be more likely to give it a try.  In the majority of cases the benefits of trying it clearly outweigh the risks.

Lastly, patients do not have to smoke to get the immediate benefits of cannabis.  Vaporization is way to inhale cannabis without producing any smoke.  It is essentially smoke free.

For more information on how to determine if you may benefit from the medicinal use of cannabis please visit our website at www.mcsocal.com and pre-qualify for free online.  To schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. Breen simply call 877-721-0047.  We have three convenient office locations in Southern California (Long Beach, Irvine and Encinitas)

Western medicine has found many challenges in treating this type of pain and often patients with neuropathic pain have given up on ever living a pain free life.   They typically have concominant depression as a result of the daily pain that they suffer from.