Can CBD really help you with back pain?
By: Leaf
Tags: Back Pain, Pain, Cbd Oils, Healing, Cbd

CBD oil for back pain

Cannabidiol or CBD is an active compound present in the cannabis plant, and is one of the key phytocannabinoids that has gained significant popularity because of its health benefits and absence of psychoactive effects related to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBD products are available in multiple forms including CBD oils, vapes, gummies, gels, syrups, topical creams and these products have helped people in a range of mental and physical ailments because of their therapeutic benefits. Multiple people have benefitted from them, in chronic and acute diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, inflammation and pain related disorders. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Database highlights that there are currently more than 160 clinical trials involving CBD underway. The FDA and other regulatory bodies, across the globe, have recently approved a CBD based drug (Epidiolex) to treat epilepsy.

CBD has specifically shown clinical and medicinal benefits in reducing chronic and acute pain, with lesser side effects on the body. CBD affects the TRPV1 receptor, glycine receptors, and adenosine receptors, which further help in inhibiting pain. Cannabis can be effective in menstrual cramps, cancer pain, musculoskeletal pain, joint pain and back pain.

Can CBD help with back pain?

Estimates from a UK based study say that nearly one third of the UK population gets affected by lower back pain every year, and of the people affected by back pain, nearly 20% of the people visit a general physician for a consultation about the back pain. This in turn results in around 2.6 million patients seeking out back pain consultations in the UK every year. Back pain further leads to both loss in productivity at work for patients and an increased healthcare burden and costs for the economy. Another UK based study states that around 16% (out of the people who complained of back pain 1 year ago) were unable to work in the subsequent years. Also, the UK spends around £1,632 million as direct cost and £3,440 million as an indirect cost every year for back-pain-related issues. This is a huge economic and physical burden on the UK Healthcare system.8

CBD is evolving as a promising therapeutic agent for the management of back pain. Studies highlight that CBD is beneficial in alleviating one of the main symptoms of chronic back pain, which is inflammation. Cannabidiol is available in multiple forms such as gels and topical creams, which can be utilised as a therapeutic option for treatment of back pain.2

CBD alleviates back pain by combating anxiety, which is believed to be one of the reasons for lifelong or chronic back pain, alleviating inflammation and helping improve relaxation and sleep. CBD can control the sensation of pain and inflammation by engaging with the cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS contains receptors in the brain and immune system. When these receptors bind with the cannabinoids in CBD, they receive chemical signals to respond in positive ways. These responses can create anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.

A review study, conducted in 2018, evaluated the impact of CBD on the patients suffering from issues of chronic pain, neuropathic pain, cancer pain and fibromyalgia. The study concluded that Cannabidiol is efficacious in the overall treatment of pain and did not observe any negative side effects on the patients.4

Another study conducted specifically on patients with acute and chronic back pain, analyzed 2 patient case reports and assessed the impact of CBD based Body Wellness Cream on patients. The study concluded that the CBD based transdermal cream had a significant symptomatic pain relief for the patients with acute and chronic back pain issues. The study though further emphasised the need of conducting a detailed conclusive research to establish the benefits of CBD in back pain.5

Patient success stories with CBD

The popularity and acceptance of CBD products is growing rapidly and multiple people have now started sharing their CBD pain relief success stories.

LISA A.: Two and a half years ago, Lisa was diagnosed with a number of pain-related problems. She was prescribed pain related medications 4+ days a week and she felt like her body was barely functioning at that point. She felt like giving up. That was when she decided to try CBD oil, in the hope that she might experience minor relief from back pain and other associated pains. However, the results were a complete surprise for her, as within just a couple of weeks, she experienced tremendous relief from all of her pains including back pain, fibromyalgia, bone related pains, and migraines. She could actually reduce the need for her prescription medications by 75%. She truly believes that CBD has improved her quality of life to a large extent.

Matthew J., another patient suffering from chronic pain, started consuming CBD gummies, on a regular basis, to improve his back aches, which were due to Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), spinal stenosis, and mid back scoliosis. The gummies not only helped him to reduce pain but also helped him to get improved sleep. His muscles were less stiff now and he had considerably lesser pain, due to which he could sleep much more peacefully. He considers CBD gummies as a blessing for him.6

CBD and back pain — conclusion

Nearly 65 million adults globally and every 3rd UK citizen is suffering from back pain related issues. In addition, there is an 80% chance that we would have to deal with a minimum of one episode of chronic back pain in the entire lifetime.8,10 Hence, it is imperative that we look forward to therapeutic pain relief options, which are completely natural and have minimal side effects on the body. CBD is one such option. It has established its therapeutic benefits on back pain related issues and is completely safe as well. CBD also opens up various opportunities for the management of intractable problems of chronic back pain, for which even the primary treatment options are inadequate.9

Sources:

1. https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/managing-pain/pain-relief-solutions/cbd-for-arthritis-pain

2. https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/alternative-care/understanding-cbd-cannabidiol-back-pain#:~:text=Research%20indicates%20that%20CBD%20may,lasting%20or%20chronic%20back%20pain&text=Helping%20with%20sleep%20and%20improving%20overall%20state%20of%20relaxation

3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cbd-for-chronic-pain-the-science-doesnt-match-the-marketing-2020092321003

4. https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-oil-for-pain#chronic-pain-relief

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32421842/

6. https://cbdoilusers.com/cbd-oil-success-stories/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=7129d5fd9772f2fe76b29ee5dd7bb84464fb6739-1607677077-0-ARDpnIedYrqicsLqGDVpOqL0ViDJ-Ai0Oit8afmIY0RNB4WafNnNPmgp0GxqsXMZbyU8TYm8_N2PtCCnxVY1Wuh5L4Ufs7moeuAKRs3YcP-tjvcS40zmrQUGQAA_Lc_f6WyC-xSpil2KOVk4tIQLQvYWzS3-gRWZFuzSHx3n6sK7F4YfzjnrJdzYT9P-ysCx0xx8zq21MA5mKwYLp8tKrfmxNSy-txopUUe1tITX7lPI9QcpGbsMxHS_yxGxqhY0ZcrLj9ZWANnZMDaUjBvvmMZ8GJp5JvBZbyvk2LjMx0NHhM1wVaqa-_-DbBqoayjmyM5jOgN_1hKFhDWknrChZ9WYP4RjzbzKqlJoPcidKqtERZLdPaZUmV4XhFV6ZeY3_t0sxkdLBliF9H1m57_QGiU

7. https://greatist.com/health/cbd-oil-for-back-pain#cbd-for-back-pain

8. https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2020/06/08/the-ultimate-guide-to-cbd-and-seniors-with-joint-and-back-pain

9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7204604/

10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11709/