Cannabidiol Perceptions and Use in the Orthopaedic Patient Population

Although explored in other medical fields, cannabidiol (CBD) use for pain management remains understudied in orthopaedics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of CBD use and perceptions among an orthopaedic population. We hypothesized that most patients would be aware of CBD, that the prevalence of CBD use would at least be comparable with the general population (∼15%), and that the overall perception of CBD use for pain relief would be favorable.

Five hundred adult orthopaedic patients (♂249/♀247; 4 = undisclosed, 54 ± 16 years, 18-86 years) seeking treatment for a wide range of conditions were recruited from a single hospital system before undergoing surgery. Patients were sent an email with a REDCap link for an anonymous survey that included questions about the following: demographics, procedure type, current pain levels, previous knowledge of and/or use of CBD, and indication of favorability regarding CBD use for pain management.

Among all patients, >80% reported having heard of CBD and 41.8% reported having used CBD. Among patients reporting previous CBD use, "pain management" (79.43%) and "seeking alternative pain treatment" (58.81%) were the most common reasons. Among patients reporting no use, the most common reasons were "unsure of how to obtain" (42.76%) or "lack of familiarity" (37.24%); although the same patients indicated they would consider using if prescription CBD was available (61.22%) along with more evidence regarding safety/efficacy (44.90%). Over 80% of the surveyed patients agreed that CBD might be effective for pain management (p < 0.05).

A large proportion of orthopaedic patients have used, or are aware of, CBD for pain management. Presently, barriers to use appear to be most associated with the need for more evidence regarding efficacy/safety and the availability of physician-prescribed pharmaceutical-grade CBD. These results highlight an important need for large-scale randomized trials that may support pharmaceutical-grade CBD use for pain management.

Level III, Descriptive Survey Study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.