Are you struggling with back pain? Do you find that this pain is so severe that you have a hard time going about your day? Or, does the pain come on suddenly, and you aren’t really sure why it’s happening in the first place? Back pain is easily one of the most common forms of pain that a person can experience, and it makes sense when you think about it. Our back supports every movement that our body makes, and so it has to endure a good deal of abuse over the years.
Of course, anyone who suffers from back pain wants one thing, and one thing only: relief. Now, as anyone who has dealt with this condition for a long time will tell you, that’s easier said than done. It can be a hard time diagnosing what’s causing the pain, and even more difficult treating it.
Back Pain: The Basics
So, what exactly is back pain? Well, quite plainly, it’s any form of pain that affects the back. This could include the lower back, mid back, shoulders or cervical spine. Back pain can range in severity and be either chronic or intermittent.
Back pain can affect the nerves, bones, vertebrae, or muscles of the back. Back pain is a remarkably common condition that affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but typically, back pain becomes more common as a person gets older.
Causes for Back Pain
There are many reasons why a person may develop back pain. Here are some of the most common culprits.
Reason #1: Injury
An injury to the back can cause long-lasting, and even lifelong pain. Back pain can be caused by either an impact injury or a stress injury, which means that the injury gradually occurred over time. Injuring the back is not difficult to do, as we use the spine constantly to pick things up, bend over and perform other actions that can be done improperly, leading to an injury.
Reason #2: Poor Posture
Poor posture can certainly lead to back pain later on life if it’s left uncorrected. By compressing the spine, the vertebrae can gradually move out of place, and the surrounding nerves and muscles can become extremely painful as a result.
Reason #3: Wear and Tear
Wear and tear refer to the gradual decline of functionality as a result of overuse. The older we get, the more our back is likely to cause pain simply because it is aging, like the rest of the body, and can no longer repair itself as easily as it once did.
Reason #4: Stress
Yes, stress can lead to chronic back pain. During moments of stress, we unconsciously tighten our muscles, especially the muscles in our backs. Chronic stress can cause the muscles to stay in this tense position for long periods of time, which can result in long-lasting pain, even after the stress has been resolved.
Reason #5: Poor Diet
A poor diet won’t directly cause back pain, but it can make an existing problem with the back worse. The muscles and bones require nutrients in order to repair themselves properly and remain strong and resilient. Being deficient in essential nutrients can cause the bones and muscles to lose this important ability.
Reason #6: Underlying Conditions
There are underlying conditions that can cause back pain, including certain neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and scoliosis, a condition in which the spine is malformed at a young age.
Ways in Which Back Pain is Commonly Treated
Treating back pain requires a proper diagnosis and a discovery of the underlying cause. For instance, someone whose back pain is caused by tension within the muscles due to stress may not necessarily require something as major as surgery. And, a person with a severe injury will likely not be able to simply recover by resting for a couple of weeks.
Below are the most common treatment options for those who suffer from back pain.
Treatment Type #1: Medications
Medications may be prescribed in order to manage the day-to-day pain levels. These medications can be mild or strong depending on the severity of the pain.
Treatment Type #2: Physical Therapy
Physical therapy may be recommended to someone whose back has been injured, or someone who has been practicing bad posture.
Treatment Type #3: Changes in Routine
If the back pain is caused by, for instance, poor posture while driving, simply addressing the posture issue may help with the pain.
Treatment Type #4: Surgery
For more severe circumstances, surgery may be required. Back surgery is highly invasive and requires a long recovery time, which is why it’s often viewed as a last resort.
Treatment Type #5: Supportive Gear
A person may be instructed to wear a back brace or some other type of supportive gear to support the spine and muscles.
Treatment Type #6: Chiropractic Care
A person may choose to see a chiropractor if the pain is related to spinal misalignment. Through regular treatments, the spine may become aligned, alleviating the pain.
CBD and Back Pain: What the Studies Say
So, can CBD help with back pain? Maybe you already have loved ones who use CBD religiously to manage their chronic pain. CBD is a cannabinoid that belongs to the hemp plant, and it’s been widely studied over recent years by medical scientists. One thing that we’ve seen come up over and over again is evidence that CBD has the potential to help with a wide range of pain-related conditions. This largely has to do with its unique combination of anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Both of these properties tackle pain, but in different ways. Anti-inflammatory properties alleviate inflammation that causes swelling and tenderness. Meanwhile, analgesics actually disrupt the signals sent from the nervous system to pain receptors in the brain, which reduces the brain’s ability to perceive pain.
CBD works with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a big role in maintaining homeostasis throughout the body. It does this by sending cannabinoids like CBD to cannabinoid receptors as they’re needed. There are cannabinoid receptors all throughout the body, including within the muscles, nerves, brain and more. These cannabinoid receptors take cannabinoids and use them to regulate adjacent bodily processes and systems. Therefore, taking CBD may simply support the endocannabinoid system’s ability to regulate things like pain levels, inflammation and more.
Because of this regulatory nature of the endocannabinoid system, CBD may work with areas that can contribute to back pain as well. For instance, we said earlier that back pain may be caused or exacerbated by chronic stress. CBD is known for having the potential to regulate the body’s stress response which can directly cause tension within the back muscles. This is why CBD is often used for its calming properties.
Further, CBD’s potential ability to reduce stress can benefit those suffering from back pain. We know that back pain can be very debilitating, which can make a person feel stressed on a regular basis as they struggle with the pain that they’re experiencing. Taking CBD may help a person feel more relaxed and calmer as they manage their pain levels.
Using CBD for Back Pain
To use CBD specifically for back pain, there are some things that you should know. First, you should speak to your doctor about using CBD first. Your doctor can make suggestions that can be useful, and he or she may be able to develop a whole hemp-based treatment plan for you, depending on their own knowledge of CBD and how it works.
It’s also important that you don’t stop any other treatments that you’re using to manage back pain. While CBD has some pretty good potential, we cannot say that CBD should be used as a replacement for treatments prescribed by a medical professional.
It’s important that you choose a milligram strength that reflects your pain levels, as higher milligram strengths are more potent. Choosing too low a milligram strength may not provide you with any relief whatsoever.
Take CBD daily, as this supports the endocannabinoid system’s role in managing pain. We suggest taking two different delivery methods: a topical applied directly to the back, and an internal method like an edible or tincture as well.
If You’re Tired of the Reality of Chronic Back Pain, There are Options for You
And, not all of them require an invasive form of intervention. Lots of people are using CBD daily as a way to manage this common issue, and with so many choices available on the hemp market today, you can easily find a CBD product that works with your personal needs. Explore the options that are out there, using the guide above to go about starting the proper hemp routine in an effort to find the relief that you deserve.
