Can CBD Help My Arthritis?

Arthritis is the one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, and it affects 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 early studies on animals suggest that CBD could help to treat arthritis and relieve the associated inflammatory pain. There are also hundreds of testimonials from CBD users all over the world.

• 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.

For more targeted relief, those who suffer from arthritis might consider using a salve or balm to apply directly the painful areas as opposed to oil ingestion. The former has better absorption capabilities for the pain.

There still need to be more human studies completed on CBD and arthritis, but unfortunately the likely won’t take place until the U.S. government completely legalizes all form of cannabis at the federal level.