The spine is the body’s central support structure. It helps us walk upright, bend, stretch, and reach. What will happen if someone sustains a spine injury? 

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are profoundly debilitating due to severe movement limitations and spasms. Conventional therapies don’t work for everyone, which prompts the search for new solutions. 

One promising treatment is using Sativa cannabis strains with high THC content. SCI patients buy Sativa weed for its potential to alleviate spasms. 

The real question is: is it effective? 

Key Takeaways:

• Spastic hypertonia is a frequent side effect of spinal cord injuries. It happens due to the body’s inability to control and coordinate muscle movements effectively.
• Studies suggest a minimum effective dose of 15–20 mg of THC daily can achieve therapeutic benefits.
• THC can alter pain thresholds in spinal cord injury patients, reduce the release of pro-inflammatory molecules, and enhance pain relief.

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

Spinal injuries result from external trauma (e.g., car crashes, gunshots) but can also stem from internal trauma (e.g., strokes, aneurysms) or diseases (e.g., cancer). The injury location determines the disability degree. 

Paralysis from SCI can be:

• Tetraplegia (Quadriplegia): Affects arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.
• Paraplegia: Affects the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs, but not the arms.

The injury’s completeness, or how much sensation is lost, is classified as:

• Complete: Total loss of feeling and movement control below the injury.
• Incomplete: Some feeling and movement control remain, with varying degrees of severity.

Spasm in Spinal Cord Injury

Spastic hypertonia, commonly known as spasticity, is one of the most frequent side effects of spinal cord injuries. It results from the body’s inability to control and coordinate muscle movements. 

Common symptoms include:

• Sudden involuntary movements. These occur due to muscle contractions, sometimes causing jerking motions. When these movements affect the bladder or rectum, they can lead to loss of bowel control.
• Hyperactive reflexes. Actions that normally trigger a reflex, like pulling your hand away from a hot stove, instead produce a muscle spasm. After such spasms, relaxing the muscles can be difficult.
• Involuntary muscle tightness. Moving or relaxing your muscles makes it challenging and can negatively impact muscle health over time.

Sativa Weed: A Potential Antispasmodic?

Sativa cannabis strain has long been known for its antispasmodic properties – a fact confirmed by modern science through numerous studies. It is known for its higher THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content compared to CBD (cannabidiol). 

THC is the primary psychoactive component in cannabis. It binds to key cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body, especially CB1 and CB2 receptors, which regulate muscle activity and spasticity.

As early as 1974, researchers at Veterans Affairs Hospital began to see the therapeutic antispasmodic benefits of cannabis. Later studies confirmed the efficacy of cannabinoids, especially THC. 

Benefits of Sativa Weed for SCI Patients

The high amount of THC in Sativa can offer multiple benefits to SCI patients. Beyond relaxing muscles, it also improves mood, sleep, and pain. THC provides a holistic approach to managing symptoms, so you don’t need multiple medications to treat each symptom individually.

Reduction in Spasticity

THC attaches to cannabinoid receptors in the ECS, or endocannabinoid system, to reduce levels of inflammatory proteins. This reduction, in turn, suppresses the spasm response and leads to reduced discomfort.

Pain Relief

SCI results in chronic pain or neuropathic pain (pain caused by nerve damage). Sativa weed has analgesic properties that can help alleviate various types of pain. THC can modulate pain thresholds, inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory molecules, and exhibit synergistic effects influencing pain relief.

Studies also show that cannabis can reduce the intake of opioids. Individuals using cannabis as a substitute for opioids and other prescription drugs experience improved quality of life over six months. 

The high rate of cannabis use for chronic pain and the resulting decrease in opioid use suggests that cannabis may help reduce harm in the opioid overdose crisis.

Improved Mood

SCI patients deal with psychological challenges such as depression and anxiety. They are at an increased risk of major depressive disorder. Depression often goes undertreated, possibly because it is mistakenly seen as a normal reaction to severe disability or confused with grief.

Cannabis can reduce symptoms of depression in the short term. Some users feel more relaxed, happy, and peaceful after using it. A study from the Journal of Biology and Medicine (2020) found that 95% of participants experienced rapid, short-term relief from depression symptoms.

Enhance Sleep

Sleep disorders are more common in SCI patients than in the general population. Poor sleep quality is a consistent concern reported by those with chronic SCI. 

Multiple factors can adversely affect sleep after SCI, including:

1. Very high rates of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), especially in those with high thoracic and cervical level injuries.
2. A high frequency of abnormal leg movements during both wakefulness and sleep.
3. Overall poor sleep quality.

THC affects sleep by altering time spent in different sleep stages. It decreases the time spent in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and increases the time spent in slow-wave sleep. THC reduces the amount of dreaming, which can be beneficial for people with disturbing dreams and nightmares. 

Best Sativa Weed for SCI Management

Cannabis with high THC levels can benefit SCI patients. If you are a first-time cannabis user, you can start with lower doses to adjust to its effects, even if the strain has a high THC percentage.

You can also explore these product types:

1. Edibles and Capsules: Provide a controlled dosage and longer-lasting effects.
2. Tinctures and Oils: Offer flexibility in dosing and can be taken sublingually for faster onset of effects.
3. Vapes: Provides rapid relief and a safer alternative to dosing.

Conclusion

Sativa cannabis, known for its antispasmodic properties, can enhance the overall quality of life for spinal cord injury patients. Sativa contains high levels of THC, which helps manage muscle spasms. In addition to relieving spasms, THC can also aid SCI patients in managing pain, insomnia, and depression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to administer Sativa weed in SCI patients?

Inhaling the smoke from burning Sativa flower provides fast relief as the active compounds quickly enter the bloodstream through the lungs. If you don’t like the harshness of smoke, you can try vaping. It involves heating Sativa weed to a temperature that releases vapour. Vapourizing is less harmful than smoking.

Other consumption methods are also allowed, but they may take longer to take effect.

Is microdosing effective for SCI?

Yes. Microdosing (taking a small THC amount) might provide some therapeutic benefits without the strong psychoactive effects.

Microdosing can help manage pain, sleep disorders, mood changes, and appetite loss in spinal cord injury patients. It allows them to use cannabis while being able to conduct their daily routine or exercise.

Take note that the response to cannabis can be highly individual. What works for one person may not work for another, and some people may not experience what they desire in low doses.

How do I determine the right dosage of Sativa weed to treat spasms?

• Begin with a low dose and increase gradually to see how your body reacts.
• The dosage will also depend on your method of consumption:

• Smoking or vaping: 1 to 10 inhalations of smoke per day
• Edibles: 1 mg to 2.5 mg
• Tincture: 1 mg to 2 mg of THC per dose up to three times daily

• Keep a journal to track your dosage, consumption time, method used, and effects experienced.
• Adjust the dosage when you don’t feel the effects you need.