CBD for Arthritis

CBD for Arthritis

CAN CBD HELP WITH ARTHRITIS?

CBD For Arthritis

Over 54 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with arthritis or some other type of rheumatic disease causing joint pain according to the arthritis foundation.

The arthritis foundation believes that the undiagnosed arthritis true count is could be closer to 91.2 million in total. To make matters even worse, that number is expected to grow by 49 percent by the year 2040.

Arthritis patients deal with many depilating problems include pain, stiffness, and decreased movement within the joints, all of which can become more debilitating overtime. Many arthritis patients suffer from other symptoms such as anxiety and depression, as well as other medical issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

How can I use CBD to help my Arthritis?

CBD can comes in either liquid, a capsule form or add CBD oil to food or water. CBD oil can be added into your favorite lotion or you are able to purchase lotions infused with CBD oil already. To help your arthritis, apply the location directly to the skin of the effected area to help with stiff, achy joints. Many brands offer therapeutic salves which can apply directly to your skin.

Before you start, some people consult their doctor to determine the best dosage for their aliment. The amount of CBD within products ranges from 2.5 milligrams (mg) of CBD per dose to more than 1,000 mg. We suggest starting with a very small dose in order to see how your body reacts. If you don’t notice any side effects, you can slowly increase your dosage.

Types of CBD to Use and Dosing

CBD comes in a variety of form, including CBD oil to take sublingually (under the tongue), CBD vape liquid, CBD topical ointments, CBD capsules and CBD edibles. CBD oil can be added into your favorite lotion or you can purchase CBD infused topical lotions and balms. 

There have been a variety of CBD delivery methods tested in studies examining CBD’s effects as a treatment for arthritis, inflammation and chronic pain. Topical CBD ointments show promise in managing arthritis-related inflammation in specific joints. Although topical CBD has its drawbacks – it is never ingested and doesn’t enter the blood stream – topical CBD can be a good option if you want to narrowly target a specific joint and area of the body. 

The founder of Grassroots Herbals, Hervé Damas, MD, offers up quite a bit of advice in this article on creakyjoints.org. 

For the fastest relief he recommended vaping CBD, which provides results in as little as two minutes. Topical CBD was second, providing relief in approximately 10 minutes. Sublingual drops (under the tongue) could take between 15 to 30 minutes to kick in. The longest relief delivery method, CBD edibles, could take between 30 minutes and two hours to take effect. 

He also suggested arthritis and chronic pain sufferers seek CBD products made in the United States and suggests organically grown hemp products that don’t contain a lot of extra ingredients. He also prefers CBD products made using the carbon dioxide-based extraction methods. 
Dr. Damas said most of his pain patients find relief at around 20 to 35 mg of CBD daily, but also suggests people taking CBD for pain start with a low 5 to 10 mg a day dose and gradually increase it over time until they find a dose that meets their pain relief needs. 

Side Effects of CBD 

The most common negative side effects experienced by CBD users is drowsiness, fatigue and dry mouth. Many people use CBD right before bed to help them sleep and to prevent drowsiness from interfering with their daily productivity. 

CBD builds up in the body with each subsequent dose. If you take CBD before bed each night you should still enjoy the cumulative pain and inflammation reducing effects the next day. 

Although rare, some users have reported signs of liver injury, so it’s often recommended that people with liver disease use lower doses of CBD. 
Talk with your doctor before beginning to take CBD to ensure it is safe for you and won’t have any negative reactions with medications you may be taking. 

CBD & Arthritis FAQs

  • How Do People Get Arthritis?

    OA is caused by wear and tear. A lifetime of bearing weight and moving can simply wear down the cartilage in joints that allow for a full, pain-free range of motion. OA is especially prevalent among people who are on their feet all day in very physical jobs, such as athletes, firefighters, construction workers, warehouse and dock workers and contractors. 


    OA can also be caused by severe accidents where an injury damages a joint. If a young person is diagnosed with OA, the culprit is usually some type of traumatic, high-impact injury. 


    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disorder, can affect anyone of any age. The body’s immune system essentially misidentifies the synovium as a threat and attacks it. The synovium can be thought of as a soft-tissue bubble that surrounds joints and manufactures a special liquid that helps lubricate and support cartilage and joint health. When the synovium is attacked, damaged and compromised it can become inflamed, irritated and is no longer able to perform its primary function of maintaining cartilage and joint health. 


    RA is believed to be a genetic disorder, as scientists have identified a particular genetic marker that increases a patient’s RA risk fivefold. 

  • How Can CBD Help Arthritis Sufferers?

    There are no medicinal cures for arthritis, but the symptoms, such as pain and inflammation, can be managed to make life more comfortable and improve mobility. CBD is believed to help people who struggle with arthritis in two important ways – pain reduction and inflammation reduction. 


    Chronic pain sufferers of all types have used cannabinoids to help manage pain. Several clinical studies and randomized trials have shown THC and CBD can help reduce pain with less severe side effects or dependency forming issues compared with opioids. 


    Some of these studies have been performed specifically on CBD’s ability to alleviate osteoarthritis pain. One study examined CBD’s effect on rats with early stages of joint damage. Rats that received local CBD treatments suffered less pain and experienced inflammation reduction. The inflammation reduction allowed the joints to maintain greater stability and actually helped prevent nerve damage from developing in the joints affected by osteoarthritis. 


    For RA, THC and CBD act as immunosuppressants, essentially reducing and weakening the immune system’s attack on the joint. 


    CBD also binds to the TRPV1 receptors responsible for sensory perceptions like pain as well as the regulation of body temperature and inflammation. This has the effect of desensitizing the pain receptors and blocking the pain signals being sent to the brain, as well as the inflammatory response.

    It should be noted that the majority of studies linking CBD to pain and inflammation reduction were animal studies performed on rats. Many more double-blind human clinical trials need to be performed to gauge CBD’s effects on arthritis-related pain and inflammation for a certainty. However, there are already many osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers who swear by CBD’s positive effects on their conditions. 

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