Does CBD Help With Arthritis?
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting over 50 million Americans. The two most common types of arthritis are:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): An autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks their joints, causing inflammation. RA commonly affects the hands and feet and leads to painful, swollen, and stiff joints.
Osteoarthritis (OA): A degenerative disease that affects joint cartilage and bones, causing pain and stiffness. It often affects the hip, knee, and thumb joints.
Some studies on animals suggest that CBD could help to treat arthritis and relieve the associated inflammatory pain:
A 2011 study found that CBD helped to reduce inflammatory pain in rats by affecting the way that pain receptors respond to stimuli.
A 2014 review of the existing body of research on animals concluded that CBD may be an effective treatment for OA.
A 2016 study found that the topical application of CBD had the potential to relieve pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.
A 2017 study found that CBD might be a safe and useful treatment for OA joint pain.
A 2006 study found that a cannabis-based mouth spray called Sativex helped to relieve arthritis pain. However, the cannabis plant extracts that the company uses to make the spray contain both CBD and THC.
While we make no medical claims here at Prevail, we can tell you that we have received extremely compelling customer testimonials regarding the use of our salve on arthritic areas of the body.
Tracy Thomas is a full-time ceramics artist, ultra runner, and active woman who lives in Southern California. After years of intense work with her hands, she developed arthritis and severe pain in her hands. She has been using Prevail for almost 18 months now and has reported a dramatic reduction in her symptoms and pain levels just from using Prevail’s CBD salve.
Another compelling customer testimonial is from Gregory Scott, a full-time graphic designer in his early 40’s.
“After years of sitting on my computer as a designer, I began to get worsening pain in my wrists. I was diagnosed as having carpal tunnel and mild arthritis, and it has only gotten worse. Your salve really helped relieve my symptoms.”
What are the best ways to take CBD if you have arthritis?
While CBD oil in tinctures may help to slowly address internal symptoms of inflammation, including arthritis, we have seen from observing customers that the more immediate and often more potent solution for arthritic relief is in the form of a topical.
The more severe the pain, the more potent the CBD formulation should be.
Additionally, make sure that you are using a topical that contains a full spectrum CBD and not just a less effective broad-spectrum or isolate blend.
Apply a CBD topical to your painful arthritic areas where they hurt the most, massage the topical into the skin, and let it absorb. Relief may occur in as little as minutes, or it may kick in within hours to relax and soothe the muscles. It’s also wise to consult a doctor before taking any kind of CBD products just to ensure that it doesn’t interact with any other medications that you might be taking.