Back pain is one of the leading causes of physical disability not just in the U.S., but around the world. About 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any moment.
Back pain can lead to other health issues. It can also disrupt your quality of sleep and your quality of life.
One of the ways to alleviate the pain is to use CBD for back pain. CBD has been touted as a miracle supplement that can help with pain, anxiety, depression, and so many other ailments.
Keep reading to learn how to use CBD for back pain, the types of back pain, and the common causes of back pain.
The Types of Back Pain
Back pain is so hard to treat because it’s an individualized experience. It can come from anywhere in the body since everything is connected.
When you describe your pain to a doctor, they’ll put it into a specific category of back pain. These are a few of the common categories of back pain.
Axial Back Pain
With this type of back pain, the pain is usually centralized and easy to pinpoint. It’s normally due to a muscle strain or tear.
There are many ways to experience the pain. It can be a sharp stabbing pain that lasts for a few minutes. It can be a dull pain that lasts for hours.
Radicular Back Pain
This is a type of pain that is sharp and painful. It’s mostly due to nerve compression or inflammation. Sciatica is a well-known form of this type of back pain.
Referred Back Pain
Referred back pain is the type of back pain that can be difficult to treat because the pain is referred from somewhere else in the body. While you may experience low back pain, the cause of the pain may be tight or weak muscles elsewhere in the body.
Common Causes of Back Pain
There are a few standard causes of back pain. The first is that you pick up a heavy box or weight and lift with your back instead of your legs. That strain on your back can be enough to tear the muscle fibers in your back.
One of the biggest contributors to back pain is our lifestyle. We spend anywhere from 6-8 hours a day sitting down.
What happens to the body is that muscles get tight and weak. For example, a sitting position causes your core muscles to weaken if you don’t hold yourself up. Your hamstring muscles shorten or get tight.
Your glutes also get weak from all of that sitting. What that does is that it causes your pelvis to get out of alignment. Your pelvis will rotate slightly, putting pressure on your low back.
What Is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol. It was found by a researcher in the 1940s who was conducting research on the cannabis plant. CBD is one of the many chemicals of cannabis.
When people think of cannabis, they normally think of THC. THC is another chemical that’s found in cannabis. This is the chemical in the plant that gives you the feeling of being high.
CBD works a little differently because it has some of the same properties as THC, but it doesn’t give you that high feeling.
You might ask about the legality of CBD since it’s derived from cannabis. CBD is more commonplace now because it’s legal in most states, as long as the level of THC is below .3%. Some will require that the CBD comes from the hemp plant to reduce the THC content.
How Does CBD Work?
Your body is made up of many systems. You have a cardiovascular system and digestive system. You also have an endocannabinoid system, which is part of the nervous system.
This system is responsible for the body’s interaction with cannabis, and more specifically, CBD. The endocannabinoid system is full of receptors in the body that binds to receptors found in CBD.
This binding of receptors in the body and CBD is why some people experience a reduction of pain and an improvement in mood.
CBD for Back Pain
How does CBD work for back pain? First of all, you have to have an idea of the root of your back pain.
If it’s a sharp muscle pain caused by lifting something heavy, CBD has been able to help relieve the pain for others by reducing inflammation.
It’s also been said that it may relax the muscles in your back, which can compress nerves that cause shooting pain.
Back pain that’s due to a sedentary lifestyle may have some relief with CBD for pain. You want to combine that with a stretching and strength program that will rebalance your muscles and align your pelvis.
What Is the Right CBD Dosage?
CBD products come in a variety of forms. There are oils, creams, gummies, lotions, and many more types of CBD products.
You want to consult with your doctor as to what the right type of CBD product you should use. The next thing you have to decide is the dosage.
CBD products come in a variety of strength levels. How much CBD for back pain is enough? It depends on factors like your weight, your body mass, other medications, and other health conditions.
You and your doctor will decide what the right starting dosage is. You’ll take that for a week or two and see how your body feels. Since everyone responds to CBD differently and back pain is individualized, expect to experiment a little to find the right CBD dosage.
The Best Back Pain Treatment
There are many factors that contribute to back pain. It can be a small, temporary issue that goes away in a day or two, or it can be serious and lead to debilitating pain that affects your quality of life. This is why you and your doctor should find the best treatment for your circumstance.
Be sure to check out this article to learn how you can find which CBD products are right for you.
Samantha Gaines wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. Click here to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
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