CBD (Cannabidiol) or medical marijuana is known to help with a variety of health issues such as chronic pain including that of joints and muscles.
As a completely non-psychoactive substance, it has shown remarkable capabilities in reducing the pain, stiffness, and inflammation associated with arthritis.
In that, osteoarthritis is perhaps one of the most prevalent forms that affects the health of various joints such as hands, hips, spine, and knees.
Speaking of which, knee pain is the most common type of osteoarthritis that people with growing age have to suffer.
It can pose several risks to your posture and movement while compromising the overall quality of your life.
And while there are several medications for it including anti-inflammatories, acetaminophen, and opioids, CBD has shown to be particularly promising despite the word-of-mouth and lack of clinical/controlled research.
Knee pain is believed to be the most frequent type of osteoarthritis with about 365 million people suffering from it across the world.
As inevitable as it is, especially with growing age, knee-related osteoarthritis can also occur due to a past injury, overstraining the joints, and excessive body weight.
Regardless of the cause, it can affect both men and women and make it hard for you to participate in physical activities, eventually inducing a lot of psychological stress and reducing your overall well-being.
To avoid that, you can employ a variety of techniques such as braces, medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and even joint replacement surgeries in severe cases.
However, for an early diagnosis and treatment, many people are turning to alternative solutions like CBD as a potential drug for knee pain, and for all the good reasons.
According to studies, about 83% of users have reported positive effects of CBD against knee pain.
The majority of the users have also claimed a reduction or a complete cessation of other medications like the ones described above after taking CBD for arthritis and other forms of chronic pain.
What makes it such a promising alternative to traditional medicines for osteoarthritis and knee pain is its wide range of anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antioxidant properties.
Compared to its counterpart, THC, the main psychoactive substance in weed, CBD does not cause any ‘high’ either, thus making it a safer option.
By targeting the endocannabinoid system in our arthritis and synovial joints, CBD and other cannabinoids can help regulate the inflammation and nociception (the perception or sensation of pain) in both humans and animals alike, thus reducing chronic pain including that of knees and joints.
Types of CBD Products for Knee Pain
As a promising and sustainable solution, and the growing acceptance of weed as of late, several types of CBD products are coming out in the legalized cannabis market.
Some of the most common and effective include:
1. CBD-infused edibles like gummies, cakes, cookies, and chocolates are a popular choice for many users especially those looking to gain the medicinal effects of cannabis without having to smoke it.
However, being high in calories makes it somewhat unfriendly for those suffering from being overweight.
2. Vapes and smokeables are similar methods of taking cannabis into your system with little difference in them.
While smoking involves burning the content and inhaling the resulting smoke, vaping is all about heating and vaporizing the content and inhaling the vapors which is why it is considered rather smoother and safer than the former.
Luckily, there are all kinds of CBD-rich oils and concentrates that you can vape or smoke using a vaporizer/vape pen and a variety of smoking methods respectively.
3. CBD Tinctures and Sprays are meant to be taken sublingually or by putting them under the tongue. Being purely medicine-oriented, they start delivering the effects within a matter of minutes.
Although, not that appealing taste-wise, CBD oils and tinctures have the longest-lasting storage or shelf-life of 10 years or more.
4. Pills or Capsules are yet another convenient way of ingesting cannabis for chronic pain and other medical conditions.
Just remember, that since they are going to be digested and metabolized like regular food, the effects of their content may also take a little longer to set in. For a rough estimate, anything eaten takes about an hour or 2 to completely digest.
5. CBD topicals are an interesting application of cannabis which further strengthens its function as a natural herb for people of all age groups.
Meant for local use, they include all kinds of balms, lotions, potions, and sprays that are infused with potent and transdermal CBD that can be directly applied over the skin for immediate relief.
How to Choose the Best CBD for Knee Pain?
With such a diverse and overwhelming number of options out there, it might get confusing as to which type of CBD products are the most efficient against knee pain.
In essence, each has its pros and cons. For instance, eating cannabis be it through binge-worthy edibles or dull-looking capsules takes a longer to time instil the desired effects.
Vaping and smoking, on the other hand, are faster but have a higher risk of harming your throat and lungs.
The point is that, instead of making blind guesses, it is better to consult with your doctor to see if CBD can be taken as an additional drug or supplement to minimize your pain.
Based on your current medications, a healthcare provider will be in a far better place to suggest the right CBD product for your ailment.
In case, it doesn’t work, you can always switch to a different form of CBD with further consultancy with a professional.
Top CBD Products for Knee Pain
While the rapidly booming cannabis market is flooded with all kinds of CBD products, some of the most popular for knee pain include:
• Charlotte’s Web CBD Oil.
• Joy Organics CBD tinctures.
• CBDistillery CBD warming Cream.
• 3chi CBD Relief Cream.
• Roll-on CBD topicals like PlusCBD.
• Medterra CBD Pain Relief Cream.
• CBDfx – CBG + CBD Lotion for Muscle & Joint.
• Equilibria Relief Balm.
Similarly, there are tons of other CBD products for medicinal use in the form of edibles, tinctures, vapes, oils, and even smokeables that you can choose from.
How to Use CBD for Knee Pain
As there are no specific guidelines on using CBD for knee pain, the Arthritis Foundation recommends going low and slow with it.
So, start with a minimum dosage of 5-10 mg of CBD twice a day and give it a few days. If you find the effects inadequate, increase the dosage by the same amount gradually until you get the desired results.
Once you find your sweet spot, you can stick to the dosage and use it twice or thrice a day to get the most out of it.
Moreover, since CBD has fewer side effects than THC, it shouldn’t be a problem if you could afford the relatively higher cost of it.
In case, you don’t get the necessary effects from CBD alone, you can also take it with low or moderate amounts of THC through broad and full-spectrum products for a better entourage effect.
Just beware that THC, even in the slightest quantities, can make you feel ‘high’ and may impair your cognitive and motor functions for the time being until the effects wear off.
Potential Side Effects and Considerations
While there are no reports of adverse effects of CBD, especially when taken in moderate doses, too much of it can cause damage to the liver and weaken fertility in women.
It can also interact with other medications taken for arthritis such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen. So make sure to consult with your doctor before taking CBD if you take any kind of medication for your knee pain or even other conditions.
Apart from that, a few temporary side-effects of CBD include:
• Drymouth or Cottonmouth.
• Diarrhea and upset stomach.
• Reduced appetite.
• Fatigue and drowsiness.
• Interaction with other medications such as blood thinners.
Perhaps, the greatest threat to CBD use is the lack of proper labeling that occurs in unauthorized products or the black market.
To be safe, you might want to refrain from purchasing cannabis, especially medicine-oriented CBD from a peddler or unauthorized dealer.
Conclusion
Despite the lack of clinical studies, CBD or cannabinol is considered an effective remedy to manage knee pain and other types of chronic pain due to its anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antioxidant properties.
By tapping into our ECS, CBD tends to inhibit many of the pain receptors that make us feel pain in the first place.
Albeit, not an FDA-approved drug, the medical community including the Arthritis Foundation does agree with the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, making it a potential solution for knee pain and other types of pain-related issues.
At the same time, they recommend taking CBD in minimal dosages of 5-10 mg twice or thrice a day for maximum effects which you can gradually increase if you’re not getting the desired results.
That said, it is crucial to consult with a professional cannabis or medical practitioner to figure out the right method and dosage of CBD for knee pain.
FAQs
It all depends on the product type or the consumption method. While tinctures, topicals, smokeables, and vapes, take about 10-15 to show the effects, edibles may take 2-3 hours for the CBD content to be digested and metabolized before showing the effects.
Since CBD has the potential to interact with other drugs and medications, it is recommended to consult with your doctor before adding it to your pain-management regime.
As CBD does not have any serious side effects, you can take it twice or thrice a day in moderate dosages of 5-10 mg when starting and slowly increase it from there to receive the desired results.
CBD products are usually derived from hemp with less than 0.3% THC for superior therapeutic effects. So when buying CBD for knee pain, make sure that it is hemp-derived and not obtained from marijuana plants.
At the same time, you might want to read the product label carefully to figure out the ratio of different ingredients.
For a better entourage effect, you can go for THC-combined CBD products that are referred to as broad-spectrum and full-spectrum products.
