Using CBD Cream for Pain: Is It Beneficial?

There has been a significant increase in demand for CBD, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Apart from its many purported therapeutic benefits, CBD seemingly has the potential to help manage a wide range of disorders. As a result, it might very well become one of the most popular alternative supplement options in recent memory.

So far, CBD shows potential in for people with a number of different conditions like anxiety, epilepsy, depression, addiction, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. As you might imagine, its potential lead to the development of the CBD industry and the birth of many different products.

Certainly, CBD has potential and the products featuring it might provide the relief you long seek. Nonetheless, trendy products from a new and largely unregulated industry are something to keep vigilant about. Sketchy manufacturers might advertise a CBD product as legal and compliant with regulations yet fail to meet the standards. Therefore, you must keep your wits about you.

Some of today’s CBD-based products include different creams and topicals used for a wide range of reasons. You might be wondering how such products work if they are not entering your body? Below is more info about this, and specifically, how to use CBD cream for pain.

But you need to understand a few basic things before we get into that!

What Is CBD?

We need to first look into the basics to make sure you are 100% clear about CBD and its capabilities. Before discussing the merits of using CBD cream for pain, let’s define what CBD really is.

Cannabidiol, CBD for short, is a cannabinoid – a compound found inside the cannabis plants that typically comes with a wide range of associated therapeutic advantages. Although manufacturers can pretty much extract CBD oil from most varieties of cannabis, they usually extract it from hemp.

Although CBD does indeed comes from cannabis, it doesn’t cause you to experience a “high” sensation. That’s very unlike what people usually associate with the consumption of the cannabis plant. Primarily, this is because hemp, despite being a variety of cannabis, happens to particularly have very little THC content. In most states, CBD products consist of not more than 0.3% THC content, an amount compliant with federal legislation. Because of this, there is no need to fret about ‘tripping’ after consumption. Remember, CBD is all about therapeutic benefits and not about getting intoxicated.

CBD shows the potential of helping with numerous health disorders, among them childhood epilepsy syndromes. CBD also happens to have anxiolytic properties, and, therefore, some people use it for that very purpose. For the patients who struggle with the hurdle that is insomnia, research also shows that CBD might help with falling and staying asleep.

Furthermore, CBD might provide a way of addressing different forms of chronic pain. Based on research in the European Journal of Pain, CBD applied to the skin might reduce inflammation and pain caused by arthritis. A different study illustrated the mechanism by which CBD prevents nerve pain and inflammation, two of the most challenging form of chronic pain to treat. However, we require more study in humans to officially substantiate the reports CBD enthusiasts talk so much about.

What Are CBD Creams?

Among the many different presentations in which you can find CBD, one of the most common is creams. How do they make CBD creams? Typically, they do so by infusing top-quality hemp material with top-quality olive or coconut oil. The oil application extracts the active CBD compound before blending it with certain therapeutic herbs to produce an ointment for pain relief.

Nonetheless, it isn’t always as easy as getting what you expect when shopping. The two major problem areas when it comes to CBD products are lack of regulation and false advertising. Both result in certain manufacturers misleading customers on their ingredient list. You can never be too careful nowadays.

It is always a wise first step to take a close look at the ingredient list of as given CBD cream. If possible, compare what is written on the label with the information on its certificate of analysis available online. It will verify that you are getting exactly what you expect.

That is the only way to make sure you are getting just what you expect – a soothing CBD cream for the actual purpose of pain alleviation. Now, just how do this CBD cream for pain work.

How Do CBD Creams Work?

Theoretically, CBD creams seem to work through a couple of different ways to decrease pain and alleviate inflammation. One of those is the fact that it seems to be able to prolong the presence of the body’s own endocannabinoids.

Generally, you would apply CBD-infused creams in the particular area of your body you want to target just as you do with any other cream. The healing and soothing properties of this substance should make the sensation of the cream hitting your skin pleasurable. Because CBD does have useful anti-inflammatory properties, rubbing the cream may be a good method for reducing swelling.

Another theory of how CBD creams work comes from the triggering of natural endocannabinoids in the body. The effects result from its interaction with the CB2 receptors of your endocannabinoid system located throughout the immune system. The theory goes that CBD prevents the body from breaking down its own endocannabinoids as fast as it normally would. Those endocannabinoids have their own therapeutic effects, which, conveniently, involve relieving pain and inflammation.

Overall, research seems to agree that the interaction with the CB2 cannabinoid receptors is the key. Topical application is enough to reach these receptors since they are also under some of the outermost layers of your skin.

What Are the Benefits of CBD Cream?

Are you experiencing any painful discomfort around your body? In that case, you can apply CBD cream for pain in that area. If you use CBD oil for a sore muscle, you might experience general pain relief all over your body. However, the muscle pain itself might not completely go away with CBD oil. In case you apply CBD cream to that sore muscle, then all of CBD’s pain-alleviating effects will focus on that particular area.

In other words, it is like getting a massage for a sore muscle versus taking an aspirin. With the aspirin, you’ll experience general pain relief, but that muscle may remain sore and tight. With the massage, however, you can focus on that muscle until it becomes relaxed and pain-free.

In this case, CBD cream acts as that massage since it can target a particular area for maximum effect. Are there specific health disorders that CBD cream can address? After all, CBD does have several purported therapeutic applications, so is using CBD cream for pain one of them? Well, many people do use CBD cream for pain! And for rashes, skin infections, psoriasis, eczema, sore joints, and sore muscles, too.

As you can see, CBD quickly became the “Jack of all trades” of the alternative health and wellness world. All thanks to its purported effectiveness in a wide range of applications.

What Does Research Say?

Studies into CBD’s pain-alleviating capabilities are still in their early stages. Nonetheless, what we know is promising. Based on several studies, CBD might offer relief from inflammation and pain. Additionally, there is also proof that topical CBD products, such as creams, can help address a range of pain sensations.

First, you can use CBD cream for pain associated with arthritis. Based on a 2016 animal study, applying topical CBD might help with arthritis-associated swelling and pain. A small 2020 study also looked at the impacts of topical CBD oil on nerve pain. Most people in that study, each with nerve damage issues, reported experiencing decreased pain levels. Generally, they explained experiencing a dip in sharp, itchy, cold, and intense pain sensations.

Furthermore, a 2019 study examined how topical CBD might offer relief from a particular type of facial pain that primarily affects the jaw. According to that study, participants that got topical CBD around twice a day experienced much less pain after two weeks. Again, this talks much about the potential of using CBD cream for pain.

What’s more, research shows that some patients in palliative care could use CBD frequently and CBD cream, in particular, as pain relief.

Using CBD Cream For Pain

Primarily, you can apply CBD creams topically and rub them into the skin in the specific areas you are experiencing pain and seek relief in. are your hands affected by arthritis? Massage the cream onto your hands while focusing on those painful joints.

In case a product consists of ingredients specific for pain-alleviation, e.g., arnica or menthol, you may feel a warming or cooling sensation. In case these sensations bother you, begin by applying just a little.

Make sure that you patch test that product by applying a small amount to the inside of your wrist. Then, wait to see whether you experience any irritation. It’s worth noting that even the most natural products may also irritate users who have very sensitive skin.

CBD Cream for Pain – The Takeaway

So far, the jury remains out on whether CBD topicals provide much more pain-relief than traditional pharmaceuticals. Many users anecdotally report having a positive pain-relieving experience with creams, salves, and lotions for all kinds of disorders.

If you want to achieve the best results possible, choose a full-spectrum CBD cream from a trusted company that sources high-quality, organic ingredients. Just remember to consult your doctor before trying CBD.