Researchers at NYU’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery found that a tablet containing CBD known as ORAVEXX effectively reduces post-shoulder surgery pain without inducing side effects often caused by other pain medications. 

“There is an urgent need for viable alternatives for pain management,” said lead investigator Michael Alaia, an associate professor at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine, in a Langone press release. “It could be a new, inexpensive approach for delivering pain relief, and without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs and addiction risks linked to opiates.”

The tablet was used in a study of 99 participants who had undergone rotator cuff surgery and was not found to cause nausea, liver toxicity or other common side effects of CBD tablet use. Trial participants were randomly placed in two groups to receive either the orally administered CBD tablet or placebo tablets three times a day for 14 days. 

Subjects who were in the CBD tablet group experienced 23% less pain on the first day after their surgery and reported 22-25% greater success with pain control than those who took the placebo. 

The tablet was also found to be effective in easing pain for athletes who struggle with soreness, fatigue and injury. The study was funded by the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, and included the team’s head physician, Kevin Kaplan. He said the NFL is investing $1 million into researching the effect of CBD on athletes’ pain management. He explained the potential impacts the study might have on elite athletes and their use of opioid pain relievers.

“Elite athletes certainly put their bodies through tremendous stress throughout the season,” Kaplan wrote to WSN. “We have done a great deal of work on avoiding prescription of opioid medications and while NSAIDS like Advil and Aleve are relatively safe, they aren’t without risk. CBD may be a viable alternative to treat pain and inflammation which was the genesis of our research.” 

Alaia, who also leads Langone’s sports medicine fellowship program, noted that the research only supports the tablets’ success in the short-term.

“We do believe that CBD can support pain control in a long-term, safe way, however the research is not there yet to support this,” Alaia wrote to WSN. “We at NYU Langone are committed to studying this medication as properly as possible to fully understand its effects and long-term uses.”

A second study is being conducted at NYU Langone on the effects of ORAVEXX in treating chronic pain for people who have osteoarthritis. Further studies to examine the effect of CBD on acute pain, chronic pain and inflammation are also planned.

Contact Danielle Reich at [email protected].