Does CBD work for arthritis and arthrosis?
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are joint diseases whose most obvious consequences are pain and functional disability. CBD or non-psychotropic Cannabidiol, derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant, has proven to be effective in improving the symptoms of both diseases. We explain it in detail below.
Differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis
Osteoarthritis (joint wear and tear) involves the progressive destruction of joint cartilage. Arthritis (joint inflammation) is often the cause of rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or acute osteoarthritis. These are often autoimmune diseases, i.e. the immune system itself attacks the body's own tissue, in this case the articular cartilage.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis and arthritis
The first warning signs of incipient osteoarthritis are limited movement and pain. At first there is no inflammation, which is why it is called latent osteoarthritis. The first obvious symptoms are joint stiffness in the morning and starting pain (pain at the onset of movement). As the disease progresses, we speak of activated osteoarthritis, in which painful inflammatory episodes are more frequent.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis and arthritis, or, in other words, inflammation and degeneration of the joints due to one cause or another, may include:
- Morning joint stiffness.
- Pain at rest and during movement.
- Swelling.
- Sleep disturbances.
Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis
The usual treatment of both is with analgesics; but again there are differences between the two diseases.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the articular cartilage as a result of advanced age and other factors such as physically demanding work. Arthritis, on the other hand, is, as we said at the beginning, an inflammatory disease, usually chronic and which includes more than 100 different clinical pictures due to infections or autoimmunity of the cartilages themselves. For this reason, the former is treated only with analgesics, while the latter requires antibiotics and also cytostatics.
Side effects of treatment with analgesics
The problem with treating osteoarthritis and arthritis by administering painkillers is that they can eventually produce negative effects on the stomach and liver, and even on the kidney.
This is where cannabidiol or CBD, a compound derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant, comes into play, thanks to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and, not least, its lack of side effects, as it is a 100% natural active ingredient that of course has no psychotropic effects either.
How CBD acts on arthritis and osteoarthritis
Several studies with patients with rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatism), among others, show that CBD can relieve pain and inflammation, in addition to improving sleep, which is one of its most widely known and proven properties. In fact, the use of medical cannabis is becoming increasingly common in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.
CBD is a phytocannabinoid which, like THC (psychotropic cannabinoid) acts on the receptors of the endocannabinoid system.
Cannabinoid receptors are found both in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues:
- At the central level, they are involved in the perception of pain, among other things, which is why CBD relieves pain, both pain suffered punctually and chronic pain.
- At the peripheral level, cannabinoid receptors are involved in pain transmission.
Thus, many therapeutic benefits of CBD associated with pain relief are achieved through the activation of CB1 receptors.
For their part, CB2 receptors are formed mainly in immune cells, which are responsible, among other things, for controlling inflammation.
Thus, by activating CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, CBD is able to alleviate pain and inflammation in both common and specific rheumatic diseases.
In fact, the scientific community is already pointing out the convenience of seriously considering CBD in the treatment of any chronic pain disorder when the prescribed treatments are not enough to alleviate pain and sleep problems of patients.
CBD creams for arthritis and arthrosis
There are recent studies that have shown that the administration of a CBD gel-cream significantly reduced joint swelling and limb posture score as an indicator of spontaneous pain. Therefore, added to what has been previously exposed throughout this article, we can conclude that the use of CBD creams is an excellent support for the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis, thanks to the positive results shown in the different studies.
Phexia's CBD creams are of premium quality and have the highest CBD concentrations on the market. This is the case of Mayday cream, with a cold-warm effect, with 6% CBD (9,000 mg).
Both Help cream - with a heat effect, with 3% CBD (4,500 mg) - and Mayday are two master formulas that combine two powerful natural anti-inflammatories: CBD + Chili.
The soothing properties of chili come from capsaicin, which exerts its action on the nerve cells of the skin associated with pain, causing a decrease in the activity of these nerve cells and a reduced sensation of pain.
Recovery is a 2.4% CBD cream (3,600 mg), with a powerful cold repairing effect, thanks to its formula with natural essences, such as Menthol and Arnica.
Try our creams with a 15% discount. Use the code PainPX15.
Source: (Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis D C Hammell 1 , L P Zhang 2 , F Ma 2 , S M Abshire 2 , S L McIlwrath 2 , A L Stinchcomb 1 , K N Westlund 2 Eur J of Pain 2016 )
