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How CBD Is Helpful For Lower Back Pain?

 

Lower back pain is one of the primary causes of disability all over the world. Even if it doesn’t lead to disability, lower back pain could still set you back with your daily routines while it lasts. There are also financial implications to contend with, as the pain will likely make you miss work while seeking medical care. Thankfully, there are numerous effective ways that you can treat and even prevent lower back pain.

This article shall focus on CBD’s role in relieving lower back pain, but first things first.

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Causes and Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

 

Muscle and ligament strain is the most common cause of lower back pain. These strains commonly result from sudden awkward movements and lifting of heavy objects. They are common among people whose back muscles and spinal ligaments are already compromised due to previous injuries or underlying medical conditions. 

Besides muscle and ligament strain, other possible causes of lower back pain include ruptured or bulging disks and diseases that affect bones and muscles, such as arthritis and osteoporosis. Anyone is at risk of developing lower back pain. However, the risks increase with the following factors;

  • Old age

  • Sedentary lifestyles, which result from lack of exercise and poor eating habits

  • Obesity

  • Anxiety and depression

  • Improper lifting of objects, such as using your back as opposed to your legs

  • Underlying conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, and some cancers

  • Smoking, which triggers throat irritation and causes frequent coughing, increasing the risks of herniated disks

Symptoms and Treatment for Lower Back Pain

 

Lower back pain mostly manifests as pain in your lower back. The pain can range from a sharp, shooting to a burning, stabbing sensation. It usually worsens with walking, standing, bending, or twisting. In some cases, the pain may extend to your legs, further affecting mobility.  

There are numerous ways to prevent or treat lower back pain, including;

  • Having a robust workout plan

  • Maintaining a healthy weight by avoiding junk food

  • Lifting objects properly to avoid undue strain on your back muscles

  • Minding your posture (using a posture corrector if necessary)

  • Quitting or cutting back on smoking

  • Seeking urgent treatment for all diseases, particularly those that increase your risks of developing lower back pain

  • Surgery to correct herniated disks and fix misaligned bones

In addition to these remedies, it’s now emerging that CBD can also help treat or manage lower back pain. The following sections shall highlight the role of CBD edibles for pain in relieving lower back pain.

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Understanding CBD

 

CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol and refers to a compound obtained from cannabis, which medical experts claim can help with pain treatment. CBD has several other medicinal uses, including relieving anxiety, reducing muscle spasms, alleviating inflammation, treating insomnia, and improving nausea symptoms. As with many other cannabis extracts, it’s often difficult to come by high-quality CBD products. And when you find them, you’ll mostly have to shell out huge bucks to acquire these products. Fortunately, not all have to be expensive, provided that you know where to look. 

Generally, quality CBD products are obtained by C02 extraction, as opposed to those obtained by other methods like the use of hydrocarbons. While shopping for these products, also check if the supplier offers third-party lab test results on their website. 

So, how does CBD relieve lower back pain?

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CBD and the Endocannabinoid System

 

The human body is made up of a complex system that regulates normal homeostatic balance, known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system hosts endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), which play a crucial role in masking pain sensations. In addition to endocannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system comprises endocannabinoid receptors and chemicals that escalate the synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids. 

When you experience lower back pain, the endogenous cannabinoids in your lower back bind to your endocannabinoid receptors in a manner that relays the pain signals to your brain. The ECS contains two primary receptors – CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are widespread near the brain and central nervous system (CNS), whereas CB2 receptors are located in peripheral organs and tissues. Therefore, CB2 receptors mostly pick up the pain signals in your lower back, and then relay those signals to CB1 receptors and finally to the brain. 

Like other exogenous cannabinoids, CBD improves your endocannabinoid system’s efficiency by affecting how your endocannabinoids bind to your endocannabinoid receptors. The substance mostly affects CB2 receptors by altering their chemical structures, making it easier to numb sensations of pain. For instance, CBD has been shown to desensitize temperature-regulating receptors known as vanilloid receptors (TRPV). This can be very useful in treating lower back pain that results from or worsens by temperature fluctuations. 

CBD can also boost the body’s anandamide levels. Anandamide is one of the many endogenous cannabinoids that play a crucial role in lower back pain treatment. CBD basically increases anandamide levels by mediating the effects of chemicals that facilitate anandamide degradation, such as fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). 

CBD could be effective against lower back pain by treating inflammation, which is a significant factor in chronic lower back pain. Full-spectrum CBD oil may treat inflammation by interfering with the inflammatory messenger activity in your endocannabinoid system. 

What Does Research Say?

 

Researchers have investigated the analgesic properties of cannabidiol, and the findings are mainly inspiring so far. 

For instance, a 2015 study investigating CBD’s effects on arthritic rats found that consistent application of CBD-infused gels helped reduce arthritis’ significant symptoms – pain and inflammation. Since arthritis is one of the major risk factors for lower back pain, these studies proved that CBD could help treat the condition. And while the studies were carried out on rat specimens, the findings can also apply to the human population, as all mammals have a near-similar endocannabinoid system. 

There have been numerous other studies highlighting the analgesic properties of CBD. For instance, this 2019 review suggests that besides pain, CBD could also treat inflammatory conditions. The study also discovered anti-oxidation properties in cannabidiol. This implies that CBD can reduce oxidative stress, thereby lowering the risks of chronic diseases that could increase your risks of developing lower back pain. 

Besides addressing lower back pain directly, CBD may also treat a host of symptoms associated with the condition, including anxiety, insomnia, muscle spasms, etc. 

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Conclusion

 

Cannabidiol is one of the most potent natural remedies against lower back pain. CBD may treat back pain by affecting how your pain receptors relay pain signals to the brain. The substance can also alleviate some of the most nagging lower back pain symptoms, such as anxiety and insomnia.



 

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