NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An investigational, orally absorbed cannabidiol (CBD) product effectively reduced pain after arthroscopic rotator-cuff repair (ARCR) with no safety concerns and high satisfaction from patients in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
"There is a huge need for viable alternatives for pain management. In this study, at every time point, CBD continued to outperform placebo in terms of pain control, patient satisfaction, and even opioid consumption," principal investigator Dr. Michael Alaia of NYU Langone Health, in New York City, told Reuters Health by phone.
The study results were presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting in Chicago.
The study included 99 adults undergoing ARCR. They were randomly allocated to an oral, buccally absorbed tablet containing 25 mg or 50 mg CBD (Oravexx, Orcosa Inc) three times daily for 14 days following surgery or identical placebo.
"For the first few days after rotator-cuff surgery, patients are in a pretty significant amount of discomfort," Dr. Alaia told Reuters Health.
On the first post-op day, patients receiving CBD experienced 23% less pain on average as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score compared to patients receiving placebo (4.4 vs. 5.7, P=0.039).
On both the first and second post-op days, patients using the CBD product reported 22% to 25% greater satisfaction with pain control compared with peers taking placebo, also significant differences.
