Integro Medical Clinics: living with and managing arthritis pain

Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in joints. In the UK, more than 10 million people have arthritis or other similar conditions. It is a disease that can affect people of all ages including children.

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Although there is no cure for this condition, cannabis medicines can both help control inflammation and rebalance the body’s endocannabinoid system and regulate its immune response.

Martin’ story

Martin is a 67-year-old retired Church of England Vicar, whose story of arthritis began with a sports injury when he was 15 years old.

“When I was playing rugby at school, I suffered a terrible knee injury, which I was treated properly for, but it went on to cause huge problems. Once I appeared to be better, I continued to play but it became obvious that I had weakened and damaged the knee. Over time this affected my gait and I also developed an imbalance leading to degenerative spinal stenosis.”

“I started to suffer terrible pain from arthritis in my damaged knee as a result of the original injury, which spread to all my main joints, leading to full knee replacement surgery. I also had to have two major neurosurgeries on my back and had desiccated discs removed from my neck. You can imagine the chronic pain I was in.”

Cannabis medications

Martin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease five years ago. He does not like to refer to himself as an arthritis sufferer but uses his agency, energy and initiative to effectively manage his arthritis and associated conditions pain through cannabis medicines.

“Within five minutes of vaping cannabis, I can physically see the tension and rigidity of my arthritis relaxing, the muscles and joints begin to ease and open. Over time the anti-inflammatory effect of the cannabis eases the inflamed joints and as it accumulates in the fatty tissue, it naturally dials down my pain and little by little it subsides.”

“In addition, the cannabis helped with my Parkinson’s symptoms – it stops my trembling, modulates my body temperature and helps make my speech clearer. I am now able to mostly rely upon cannabis for my pain relief, it won’t completely take it away, but it makes it manageable.”

Anthony Ordman, senior medical consultant and lead clinician at Integro Medical Clinics said: “Cannabis medicines can help to manage the pain associated with arthritis by rebalancing the body’s natural endocannabinoid pain-processing system. Cannabis medicines may also have some anti-inflammatory effect, which helps to soothe the inflamed body tissues.” –

Sophie Hayes, specialist cannabis nurse at Integro Medical Clinics added: “Insomnia and low mood associated with the pain can also be helped by the correctly-balanced prescription of cannabis medicines.”

Read more: How cannabis could help with rare skin conditions

Types of arthritis

There are many different types of arthritis and related conditions, but the two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rarer forms include psoriatic arthritis, lupus, and others.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting nearly 9 million people in the UK. It generally develops post-mid-40’s or later. Initially, it affects the smooth cartilage lining of the joints and makes movement painful and feels stiff. Once the cartilage lining starts to roughen and thin out, the muscles, tendons and ligaments may have to work harder, causing further swelling, inflammation and pain around the joint.

Severe loss of cartilage leads to bone rubbing on bone, which alters the shape of the joint and can change the shape of the joint. You normally find this type of arthritis in the hands, hips, knees and spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis affects over 400,000 people in the UK, and often starts at around 40 years of age, with women 3 times more likely to be affected than men. In this type of arthritis, the body’s immune system targets the affected joint, which leads to inflammation, pain and swelling. This can lead the cartilage and then bone to weaken and change the joint shape to alter, sometimes causing the direction of the fingers to drift sideways.

People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can also develop problems with other tissues and organs. Cannabis medicines not only have an anti-inflammatory effect but in this form of arthritis, they can rebalance the bodies endocannabinoid system and help manage the immune system response.

If you would like further information, or to make an appointment for medical consultation, please contact us at Integro Clinics:

Website: www.integroclinics.com
Email: Contact@integroclinics.com
Twitter: @clinicsintegro

For more information on your arthritis:
https://www.versusarthritis.org/