Cannabinoids and Fibromyalgia: What Is the Clinical Evidence?

Dominic Carreira, MD, FAAOS; Thomas Ueland, BS

Fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain, with an estimated prevalence of 2 percent to 8 percent in the United States. There is heightened suspicion with the presence of unexplained diffuse pain, fatigue, and sleep disruptions lasting greater than three months. However, diagnosis of fibromyalgia is complicated by variability in accepted diagnostic criteria, symptom overlap with other musculoskeletal pain generators, and the absence of confirmatory tests.