As of 2014, 14.6 million Americans said they suffered from joint pain; that’s up from 10.5 million in 2002. Today, it wouldn’t be surprising if that number was edging over 16 million.
Many patients are prescribed opioids for the pain. While these may be extremely effective, they also come with some caveats, such as dependency and adverse side effects. For that reason, you may be looking at alternative methods for treatment your joint pain.
Are you looking at how to relieve joint pain and have found CBD oil as a possible solution? Then you’ll want to read on. We’ll discuss what causes joint pain, how CBD oil works, and how it may be useful for your joint pain.
Table of Contents
What Causes Joint Pain?
To figure out whether or not CBD oil helps with joint pain, you need to first understand what causes joint pain in the first place.
As you may have guessed, several things can cause joint pain. For example, it can come from an injury or something like arthritis or bursitis.
In any case, there are common symptoms that cause you to hurt: inflammation, redness, and tenderness. A common cause of joint pain is also the wearing away of cartilage, which can cause your joints to rub against one another and cause pain and inflammation.
In the beginning, taking anti-inflammatory medications (such as NSAIDs) may work to stave off the joint pain. But in time, the pain may get so bad that you need prescription medications.
CBD Oil for Joint Pain
If you’re someone who’s been on prescription medications for joint pain and want something that takes less of a toll on your health, you might be wondering about CBD oils. You may have heard them being touted as a miracle cure-all for practically every disease and condition.
But does it really work for joint pain?
Again, before we answer this question, you need to learn a little more. In addition to knowing what causes joint pain, you need to also know how CBD oil works.
The Basics of CBD Oil
CBD oil is derived from marijuana or hemp plants. “CBD” stands for “cannabidiol,” which is a cannabinoid. You’ve most likely heard about THC, which is also another cannabinoid. This is the active ingredient in marijuana that gives people that euphoric high, but it also has a lot of healing properties as well.
CBD is a closely related cannabinoid that may have the same beneficial properties as THC does. However, the major difference is it doesn’t get you high, which means you can take this chemical without it affecting your sobriety.
How cannabinoids work is they play an important part in the endocannabinoid system. This is the system in your body that’s responsible for a number of functions, such as pain, mood, and appetite. THC and CBD (and other chemicals) bind with your cannabinoid receptors to influence your endocannabinoid system.
So Does CBD Oil Work for Joint Pain?
Because CBD hasn’t been on the market for very long, there hasn’t been extensive research done on its effectiveness. However, based on our understanding of the human body and how CBD works, in theory, it should be effective for joint pain.
A 2016 study on topical CBD applied to rats with arthritis seems promising. And a 2017 study also done on rats showed that CBD can prevent pain and nerve damage later on.
As you can see, there are lots of positive results on animal studies. But because there hasn’t been many human studies done yet, we can’t say with certainty if these results will translate over to us.
However, considering that CBD has very little side effects and that you can’t overdose on it, we’d say it’s worth a try to see if it can be effective in treating your joint pain.
How to Take CBD Oil
Do you want to try CBD oil for your joint pain? Then you may be wondering about the best methods and dosages. Below are some tips on taking CBD oil.
Topical
CBD oil can come in creams, lotions, and balms. Whenever you feel any pain, you can just rub the topical directly on your skin and massage it in.
It may take some time to feel its effects (up to 90 minutes), but once you do, it’ll relieve your joint pain at the source. You can also rub as much in as you want.
Vaping or Smoking
Vaping or smoking CBD oil is the quickest way to feel the effects. This is because it’s absorbed into your lungs, where it circulates the CBD into your bloodstream.
You’ll feel effects within a few minutes. However, you’ll have to keep inhaling to keep feeling the benefits.
Sublingual
This is where you put drops of CBD oil underneath your tongue. You hold it for up to 1 minute and then swallow.
This method also allows for quick delivery since it’s absorbed into the bloodstream instead of having to go through your whole digestive tract.
Ease Your Joint Pain With CBD Oil
As you can see, CBD oil can be a great way to ease your joint pain without having to take heavy opioids. That way, your body won’t develop a dependence and you won’t suffer from serious side effects.
However, before you proceed with taking CBD oil and/or ceasing any medications, make sure you consult with your doctor first. Together, you can figure out if this is the right path to take. If so, then you may need to taper your current medications under their care so you have as little withdrawal side effects as possible.
For more informative articles, please take a look at our other blog posts now.
