The cannabidiol (CBD) industry is getting bigger as more countries start legalizing its use for medical purposes. This change gives medical experts more freedom to look into the potentials of CBD to alleviate, if not completely treat, various physical and mental illnesses.
Using CBD-derivative products, like these, to treat arthritis and other joint pain problems is one area that still needs a lot of work. But is there any glimpse of hope that CBD can potentially put an end to arthritis? Let’s find out.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is the most common cause of joint pain, affecting over 54 million adult Americans.
While arthritis is joint pain, not all joint pains are arthritis. Joint pains could also be caused by something else, like bursitis (inflammation of the cushioning pads around joints), gout, injury, and so much more.
It’s amazing to note that there are more than 100 types of arthritis, and while pain is the most common symptom, the pain level is not the same for all of them. The two most common types of arthritis are:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): This is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissues. It affects the linings of the joints, causing them to become tender and swollen. Symptoms include warm, painful, and swollen joints, sometimes accompanied by fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite. RA commonly affects the hands and feet.
Osteoarthritis (OA): Osteoarthritis happens when the protective cartilage that envelopes the ends of your bones degenerate over time. The most common symptoms include pain, stiffness, loss of flexibility, and grating sensation. OA commonly affects the joints in your hands, knees, hips, and spine.
Can CBD Treat Arthritis?
To answer this question, it’s better to stick to the facts by citing several studies focusing on cannabidiol’s efficacy on arthritis:
The Abnormal Cannabidiol Analogue (2011)
This study investigated whether CBD could reduce joint inflammation on the rat model. The result showed that CBD helped reduce inflammation in rats by altering the way the pain receptors react to stimuli.
Involvement of the Endocannabinoid System in Osteoarthritis Pain (2014)
The review aims to gather more verifiable data that can support the therapeutic value of cannabidiol for osteoarthritis relief. It concluded that CBD has the potential to treat osteoarthritis (OS) effectively.
Transdermal Cannabidiol Reduces Inflammation (2016)
This study examined the effectiveness of topical cannabidiol for reducing the inflammation and pain of joints in rat models. The data revealed that applying topical CBD has a therapeutic effect on soreness caused by arthritis and other joint pain problems. The study also concluded that topical CBD has no evident side-effects on the subjects.
Attenuation of Early Phase Inflammation by Cannabidiol Prevents Pain and Nerve Damage (2017)
The objective of this study was to determine whether CBD could block the cell receptors from responding to pain stimuli. Also, it aimed to establish whether CBD was effective in preventing the development of OA pain. It found out that cannabidiol might be a safe and effective treatment for OA joint pain.
However, it’s important to point out that all the studies mentioned above use animals as subjects. To date, very few scientific studies have been conducted to show the potential of CBD to treat arthritis in humans.
While the findings show a silver lining, more research is needed to establish that CBD can really put an end to arthritis. There is room for positive optimism, though, it seems.
