Study To Determine Whether CBD Can Reduce Need For Opioids After Knee Replacement

LANSING, MI – Researchers are conducting a study on the potential benefits of cannabis for patients who have undergone knee replacement surgery, the Oakland Press reports.

The study is being conducted by Henry Ford Health and University of Michigan hospitals, and will involve patients from University of Michigan Henry Ford hospitals in West Bloomfield Township and Detroit, as well as several ambulatory facilities in Oakland County.

The goal is to determine whether cannabidiol or CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, can reduce the need for opioid painkillers after knee replacement surgery.

“This study could be a significant step forward in exploring additional pain management strategies and assessing the potential for CBD to reduce opioid consumption following surgery,” said Lara Zador, M.D., a co-investigator on the study.  Zador, director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic at Henry Ford Health, said the risks of opioids are well-known and they can lead to dependence, even if taken for a short time.

The study, which is expected to last four years, is considered the largest clinical trial to date attempting to ascertain whether administering CBD before and after surgery can reduce the need for opioids.

380 knee replacement patients, ages 18-80, will be sought for a look at whether CBD can reduce pain, anxiety and inflammation over a period of six months.

While the study’s focus is on patients with total knee arthroplasty, researchers believe the results may have broad implications for other kinds of surgeries in which opioids are commonly used as therapy, as well as for other kinds of chronic ailments such as back pain or joint pain.

“This trial design will allow us to investigate when — if at all — CBD may be most usefully administered in the perioperative period,” said Kevin Boehnke, Ph.D., research assistant professor within the Michigan Medicine Department of Anesthesiology. “We want to understand whether CBD changes opioid consumption after surgery, and our study will also contribute to a nuanced understanding of CBD’s effects on pain intensity, anxiety, inflammation, and sleep.”

Participants in the study will receive one of four combinations of placebo or CBD (300 mg/day) for one week prior to surgery together with CBD or placebo for four weeks following surgery. They will also get a standard pain treatment option, including an opioid prescription following hospital discharge and refills as needed.

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