Award Date

5-15-2025

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Committee Member

Merrill Landers

Second Committee Member

Daniel Young

Third Committee Member

Kai-Yu Ho

Number of Pages

31

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)) on self-reported balance problems, freezing of gait (FOG), and bradykinesia in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: Recent research has indicated that a high proportion of people with PD are interested in using cannabis for symptom management. Given the known intoxicating and motor impairing properties of THC, it may negatively affect postural instability and increase fall risk in people with PD.

Methods: Data from the Fox Insight online clinical study were analyzed in February 2024. The analysis only included participants with PD who answered questions about cannabis use (n=2754). Responses were analyzed based on type of cannabis (high CBD/low THC, high THC/low CBD, similar CBD and THC, hemp (typically high CBD/low THC)) using three different self-report Likert questions addressing balance problems, FOG, and bradykinesia.

Results: Most respondents reported no change in their balance problems, FOG, and bradykinesia resulting from cannabis use. However, the proportion of respondents reporting worsened symptoms were higher among those using high-THC cannabis compared to those using high-CBD cannabis.

Conclusions: While a plurality of PD respondents reported no change in balance problems when using cannabis, approximately one in four reported worsened balance problems when using high-THC cannabis. This suggests that people with PD should exercise caution when considering high-THC cannabis, as it may exacerbate balance problems and potentially increase fall risk. Similar patterns of symptom worsening with high-THC cannabis were reported for FOG and bradykinesia, though at lower rates than for balance problems. Further research using experimental designs better suited for causal inference is warranted.

Keywords

Marijuana; gait; falls; THC; CBD; hemp

Disciplines

Physical Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1018 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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