SynthesisCanadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie2019
Cannabis for pain in orthopedics: a systematic review focusing on study methodology
Synthesis in Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cannabinoids and orthopedic surgery: a systematic review of therapeutic studies.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2021Pooled it
- Association of Perioperative Cannabis Use With Postoperative Opioid Consumption in Ankle Fracture Patients.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2026Article
- Cannabidiol to reduce persistent post-surgical pain following total knee arthroplasty: protocol for a multi-centre, randomized, controlled pilot trial.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Medical and recreational cannabis use in patients undergoing one- or two-level lumbar spine fusion correlated with postoperative outcomes.North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- Review
- Do Medical and Recreational Marijuana State Laws Impact Trends in Postoperative Opioid Prescriptions Among Patients Who Have Undergone TJA?Clinical orthopaedics and related research · 2025Article
- Self-Reported Marijuana Use Is Associated With Increased Narcotic Prescribing Following Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.The Iowa orthopaedic journal · 2025Article
- Review
- Understanding the Orthopedic Conditions for Which Patients Are Seeking Medical Cannabis Certification.Cureus · 2024Article
- Review
- Self-reported cannabis use is not associated with greater opioid use in elective hand surgery patients.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2023Article
- Cannabis use is associated with decreased opioid prescription fulfillment following single level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).North American Spine Society journal · 2023Article
- Cannabinoids as a Potential Alternative to Opioids in the Management of Various Pain Subtypes: Benefits, Limitations, and Risks.Pain and therapy · 2023Review
- Hand Surgery Patient Perspectives on Medical Cannabis: A Survey of Over 600 Patients.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2023Article
- Comparing Sublingual and Inhaled Cannabis Therapies for Low Back Pain: An Observational Open-Label Study.Rambam Maimonides medical journal · 2022Article
- Pharmacological Treatment in the Management of Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis.Drugs & aging · 2022Review
- Article
- Article
- Pain Management Strategies After Orthopaedic Trauma: A Mixed-Methods Study with a View to Optimizing Practices.Journal of pain research · 2022Article
- Prevalence of Cannabidiol Use in Patients With Spine Complaints: Results of an Anonymous Survey.International journal of spine surgery · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Medical cannabis use is an emerging topic of interest in orthopedics. Although there is a large amount of literature on medical cannabis use for managing various types of pain, few studies have focused on orthopedic conditions. There is little high-quality evidence in core orthopedic areas. The objective of this study was to summarize the literature on the efficacy of cannabis use for pain related to orthopedic conditions. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the use of cannabinoids for pain management in core orthopedic conditions. Two independent reviewers extracted information on reporting quality, risk of bias, drugs, population, control, duration of study, pain outcomes and the authors’ conclusions regarding efficacy for pain outcomes. Results: We identified 33 orthopedic studies, including 21 primary studies and 12 reviews. Study quality was generally low to moderate. Six of the included studies had a control group and 15 were noncontrolled studies. Methodologies, drugs and protocols of administration varied greatly across studies. Study conclusions were generally positive in noncontrolled studies and mixed in controlled studies. Studies using higher doses tended to conclude that cannabis use was effective, but the potential for harmful effects may also be increased with higher doses. Conclusion: Variability in the methodologies used in cannabis research makes it challenging to draw conclusions about dosing, routes and frequency of administration. Most of the existing evidence suggests that medical cannabis use is effective, but this efficacy has been demonstrated only when either there is no comparator or cannabis is compared with placebo. Studies using an active comparator have not demonstrated efficacy. Future research should focus on improving study reporting and methodologic quality so that protocols that optimize pain control while minimizing harmful effects can be determined.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.