CBD For Back Pain: What Science Says?

Back pain is one of the most commonly faced health problems. It will affect anyone regardless of age or gender. But no treatment provided by the experts can relieve it completely. The medicines which are discovered to soothe lower back pain are limited. As a result, many health experts prefer leaving it to heal on its own instead of prescribing pain relievers or any other drugs. 

But nowadays, CBD is gaining popularity in providing instant relief from back pain. However, this article will discuss the products of CBD that help in soothing back pain and what science says about the working of CBD to reduce back pain.

How Does CBD Work For Treating Back Pain?

The word CBD brings fear to the mind of many and considered it the most harmful drug which brings an array of side effects to the human body. But the truth is that CBD products which are derived from the hemp of the cannabis plant cause very low adverse symptoms in the body. The THC level in such CBD products is less than 0.3% which is not enough to create a euphoric effect or any other symptoms in your body. Despite this, it brings a lot of health benefits to you. The main thing to point out is that it provides an instant result in relieving pain and inflammation in your body.

CBD has the potential to directly interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) of your brain and control the functions like sleep, appetite, mood, pain, etc. Hence, it helps you by providing a good sleep, enhancing your mood, improving your creative thinking ability, and correcting the appetite, bedside relieving pain.

There are many other cannabinoids derived from the cannabis plant and the CBD is considered the safest among them as it will not create a ‘high’ effect on the users.

CBD products used for soothing back pain

Now let us discuss some of the CBD products which are widely used to soothe back pain.

• CBD Cooling Gel

Several CBD cooling gels are found to reduce back pain instantly. But the CBD product named, Charlotte’s Web Hemp-Infused Cooling Gel is one of the best CBD products for treating back pain. This cooling gel uses only natural ingredients in the formulation and is proven safe to aid results. This product is free from allergens that cause adverse symptoms in your body. 

This CBD cooling gel uses a blend of menthol, arnica, and full-spectrum CBD hemp extract in the production. It can be applied on any part of your body apart from the lower back. This CBD product is capable of creating a cooling and pain-relieving effect on your body.

• CBD Oil

Among the CBD oils for relieving back pain, CBDistillery’s Broad-spectrum CBD oil tincture is gaining popularity recently. The fact of its increasing demand is that it provides instant relief to back pain without showing any negative symptoms in your body. 

Another main reason for the hype of this CBD product is its convenience in consumption. You can consume it by just pumping a full dropper under your tongue. You can hold it there for 30 seconds to find an instant and effective result. This CBD oil is extracted from the hemp of a naturally grown plant. Furthermore, it is free from GMOs and other harmful chemicals.

• CBD Cream

Another CBD product that is receiving great applause from users for ailing lower back pain is Aspen Green Muscle Relief Cooling Cream. It is a topical cream that can be applied on the back, neck, shoulder, arms, thighs, and others for relieving chronic pain. This product is found effective in treating muscle spasms and inflammations.

Aspen Green Muscle Relief Cooling Cream is made using science-backed ingredients. It has also passed the third-party tests which further ensures safety. This cooling cream is proven free from parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, and other chemical toxins. However, it is not a good cream for those having sensitive skin types.

• CBD Lotion

A CBD lotion, Vertly Relief Lotion can also help with back pain when applied. It is a unique blend of medicinal plant extracts and essential oils which give a synergistic effect on soothing pain. It uses arnica, shea butter, aloe vera, lavender oil, peppermint hydrosol, and magnesium in the formulation along with the full spectrum botanical extract of CBD. 

The users are finding it effective as it hydrates the skin, reduces inflammation, and relieves muscle pain. It also improves joint flexibility and mobility. This lotion can be applied to your body to reduce the strain and pain caused due to it. 

• CBD Balm

You will also find several soothing balms made using CBD. Lazarus Naturals Soothing Mint Full Spectrum CBD Balm is effective among them. This topical balm uses hemp-extracted full-spectrum CBD, peppermint oil, mango butter, and beeswax. 

Lazarus Naturals Soothing Mint Full Spectrum CBD Balm is very easy to apply. It gives a long-term cooling and warming effect on the affected area. Thus it relieves pain and soreness caused on the back or other parts of your body. This balm also reduces muscle pain by improving the health of skin cells by maintaining them moisturized. 

What do science and research say about using CBD for relieving chronic pain?

A recent study conducted by National Centers for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), states that CBD has a modest effect in treating chronic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Certain research also states that CBD products are effective in treating neuropathic pain caused due to damaged nerves and nerve injury. 

Back in 2018, studies were conducted on cannabinoids for relieving chronic pain, mainly lower back pain, and it was found that they have mild benefits in soothing pain. Those taking cannabis were found to have a 30% reduction in chronic pain they experienced over those who use alternative methods. 

Another study conducted in 2018 on a cannabinoid product named nabiximols, which contains an equal amount of CBD and THC, is found with better pain relief than a placebo did. But this cannabinoid product is banned in the US, even though it is approved by some other countries. 

In 2015, studies were conducted on cannabinoids to know whether it works for chronic pains. The studies showed improvements in chronic pain in those who took cannabinoids. 

As CBD is relatively safe and avoids causing psychoactive effects in the body, CBD products are preferred by many people to relieve back pain. There are several other benefits of CBD like fighting diabetes, depression, cancer, etc. It also helps chronic pain, neuropathic pain, food aversion due to chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, and many more. But it lacks appropriate human studies to prove its efficiency and animal models are used for conducting the studies.

Why is the FDA not approving the consumption of CBD products?

FDA is very stern in opposing the consumption of cannabis products and points out it is illegal to purchase or sell CBD components in the form of dietary supplements or by combining them in food items. As per the finding of the FDA, CBD products cause adverse symptoms, even though many advertisements circulate widely praising their benefits. 

FDA addresses CBD as a substance that causes liver damage. It interacts with several medications like blood thinners, cardiovascular medicines, immunosuppressants, etc adversely which makes you ill. FDA strictly restricts it to senior citizens, those below 18, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

However, the FDA approves the use of CBD medication, Epidiolex, for treating the rare and special form of epilepsy. Sativex, a combination medication of CBD and THC, is approved by Health Canada for treating neuropathic pain due to multiple sclerosis and for soothing the pain of cancer when the body shows less response to the optimized opioid therapy. 

Adverse symptoms caused by CBD

Even though CBD products soothe chronic back pain, it causes some adverse symptoms in your body. Some of the symptoms which are experienced are listed below.

• Depending on the dosage of the CBD medication, you will experience fatigue, drowsiness, and mental sedation.
• Long-term use of a high dose of medicines containing CBD will create a toxic effect on the body.
• A study indicates that the daily consumption of doses above 400mg of CBD products induces schizophrenia by destroying cognitive functions.
• Some research also found that it causes alterations in cell viability.
• CBD products reduce the capacity of fertilization in both males and females.
• It makes the medicines are taken for the liver inactive thus causing further damage.
• CBD makes your body less responsive to medical drugs like P-glycoprotein and others.

Final Take

This article might be helpful for you to gain some vital knowledge about CBD and the way it works in ailing chronic back pain. It also introduces to you some of the best CBD products, which are safe and effective for treating pains and inflammations. The information regarding the scientific evidence of CBD products might have helped you to grab the proof of its working.

We also discussed the view of the FDA on taking CBD. This organization warned the public about vaping CBD products that contain THC as the intensity of adverse symptoms is very high. However, if you are planning to purchase a CBD product for soothing pain or any other purpose, it is better to seek the advice of a health expert to ensure you are free from risks.