Does CBD Work for Back Pain?
People these days are always looking at alternatives to traditional medication. And while we always advise to listen to your doctor, we can understand that medical science does not always have the best track record these days. When it comes to back pain, all can agree that most people just want something safe and effective. So the question we will answer in this article is: CBD for back pain, does it work?
What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol and is a component of the hemp plant. It is being studied by large universities and institutions around the world for proposed health benefits. A key study was conducted by the World Health Organisation which assessed if CBD is addictive. There findings were a conclusive no.
While studies are being conducted, there is growing sentiment among the public that CBD does provide a large range of benefits.
Reported uses of CBD are in areas like reducing pain caused by inflammation, reducing feelings of anxiety and stress and increasing one’s ability to sleep. While more research is needed to scientifically prove these claims; there is merit among the public’s findings.
Using CBD for pain is one thing, but many people use CBD for specifically one thing, back pain.
The Science Behind Using CBD For Back Pain
While numerous studies are being conducted and the scientific community works to verify claims, companies are not able to fully say definitively that “CBD works to reduce pain”. But, what can be said is how CBD interacts with the body.
CBD works with the body’s Endocannabinoid System or ECS for short. The ECS is a large network of receptors across the body that process various chemical signals. Our body creates chemicals which are like the language these receptors understand.
We all know that chemical signals in the brain cause us to feel emotions and sensations; here is a short list of the commonly known ones:
Dopamine is a commonly known chemical the brain uses to create feelings of joy or excitement.
Cortisol is a chemical the body produces when we are stressed or anxious about something.
Melatonin which is a commonly used supplement to aid sleep is naturally produced in the body to help aid sleep.
While these are well known chemicals made and used by the body, our bodies also produce a chemical called anandamide.
Anandamide is a natural cannabinoid that behaves much like CBD. Scientists refer to anandamide as an endocannabinoid.
What Processes is the ECS Linked To?
The ECS is a complicated system that is not fully understood yet. But research has shown that it is linked to the following processes:
- appetite and digestion
- metabolism
- chronic pain
- inflammation and other immune system responses
- mood
- learning and memory
- motor control
- sleep
- cardiovascular system function
- muscle formation
- bone remodeling and growth
- liver function
- reproductive system function
- stress
- skin and nerve function
When taken as a whole, the ECS looks as though it is there to keep everything in balance. Looking at the list, there are both mental functions and physical ones. Keep that in mind because as we explore how all of this is linked to chronic back pain.
How the ECS and Back Pain are Related
Back pain can be debilitating. Often keeping people away from the things they want to do in their life. Many of our customers have said that they think differently because of their awareness of the back pain. Simple movements are no longer simple and things can become frustrating and annoying. This in turn can cause a bad mood outwardly and anxiety inwardly.
This is where the ECS comes into the equation.
The ECS is largely responsible for maintaining homeostasis, yet when someone is dealing with chronic pain, the body needs relief. Signals around the back pain are telling the ECS that it needs help.
Traditional pain medication only deals with the effects of the pain, it does not work on the mental side of the pain. As anyone with back pain knows, there is a big mental side to the pain. CBD shows promise in helping with both the physical and mental sides.
Taking CBD for Back Pain
According to Spine-Health.com, CBD for back pain has shown tremendous potential and is known as a full body approach because it doesn’t just treat the area of pain, but the mental side as well.
Based on scientific studies surrounding CBD and back pain, CBD has shown to provide these benefits.
- Reducing inflammation1
- Combating anxiety, often associated with long-lasting or chronic back pain2
- Helping with sleep and improving overall state of relaxation3
To anyone with back pain, seeing these benefits should be a sigh of relief. Not only are you reducing pain by lowering inflammation, taking CBD will improving sleep time which is when your body repairs itself.
How to use CBD for Back Pain?
When taking CBD for back pain, it is important to start by selecting the right product for the job. Be careful of companies selling big bottles of low potency CBD. Try using a 20% Full Spectrum CBD oil or higher, you can thank me later ?.
If you are taking medication for pain you should continue to use it as directed. But if your goal is to switch completely to CBD and go the all natural route, you’re going to have to taper off the pain meds and transition to CBD gradually. This process should take about 3 weeks in total.
Based on our experience with our customers, this is the safest method for the transition. Please understand that this is just from our experience and not intended to treat or cure back pain. Please follow the medical advice from your doctor.
Start by taking 1 drop of CBD twice a day. After 3 days, increase to 2 drops in the morning but only 1 at night.
After 6 days, increase to 2 drops morning and night.
Each additional 3 days, add one drop to your daily total until you reach a total of 8 drops per day.
At this point, there should be enough CBD stored in your system to start reducing your medication if you choose to go that route.
Conclusion
Back pain can be a major setback in a person’s life. We’ve personally dealt with hundreds of customers who have had either an accident or a genetic issue that’s causing them to suffer. Most of them say that they are looking to use something that is all natural instead of more pills taken everyday.
The medical profession is usually slow to keep up or validate new things, but CBD has shown great potential as an effective treatment for pain. Just be sure you are buying CBD from a company that stands by their products.
Here at Pure Organic CBD, we have a 30 money back guarantee on all products. Since we’ve implemented the guarantee, we’ve returned only 3 products across thousands of sales. We know people order from us every month because they trust our products and our company.
If you are suffering from back pain and want to find relief, give us a try today.
References
1 Russo EB. Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2008;4(1):245–259. doi:10.2147/tcrm.s1928
2 Crippa, J. A. S., Derenusson, G. N., Ferrari, T. B., Wichert-Ana, L., Duran, F. L., Martin-Santos, R., … & Filho, A. S. (2011). Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(1), 121-130.
3 Shannon S, Lewis N, Lee H, Hughes S. Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. Perm J. 2019;23:18–041. doi:10.7812/TPP/18-041
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