For those living with chronic spinal cord injury, spasms and muscle stiffness are part of daily life. The body, which no longer responds as before, now also contracts without warning. For many, even with conventional treatments, improvement never arrives, or when it does, it is insufficient. But a new observational study conducted at the Guttmann Institute in Badalona, Catalonia, brought a breath of fresh air. Or rather: a spray.

The researchers evaluated the effects of nabiximols - a cannabis-based medication marketed as Sativex®, on the spasticity of patients with chronic spinal cord injury. The result? A significant reduction in symptoms after up to two months of use.

Spasticity is one of the most challenging complications for those who have suffered a spinal cord injury. It manifests as muscle stiffness, involuntary contractions, and spasms that often even prevent the simplest movements. It's as if the already weakened body decides to fight against its inhabitant.

The study involved adults over 18 years old with moderate to severe spasticity resistant to traditional treatments. Patients were evaluated before starting the spray medication and again after one and two months. The dose was adjusted on a personalized basis according to each person's needs and tolerance.

Thirty days to change the body. Sixty to calm the mind

The results were encouraging. In just one month, participants reported a 30% reduction in spasticity-induced pain, measured by the visual analog scale (VAS). Two months later, this index remained, but the reduction in another measure, the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), reached 52%.

Additionally, 67% of patients reported perceived improvement in their overall condition, according to the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I). For those living with pain every day, feeling better is more than statistics. It's hope.

The beginning of a new path

Although further studies are still needed, especially to understand the long-term impacts, the results obtained at the Guttmann Institute offer a concrete possibility of improving the quality of life for patients who previously only found frustration in their test results.

Nabiximols are not a cure. But they can be a relief. A rest for the muscles and for the soul. A step, even if subtle, towards autonomy, well-being, and the right to live with less pain.

With information from Nature.com