Medical Cannabis for Back Pain Relief

It might strike you out of the blue, causing you to stop in your tracks with a discomfort in your lower, middle, or upper back. For the most part , it will happen when you have something really important to accomplish. Let’s learn more about back pain and how marijuana can assist before we show you the best strains for back pain of this year.

Despite what most people believe, back pain is a serious issue. According to the Mayo Clinic, around 80% of Americans experience back discomfort at least once in their life. Furthermore, adults aged 35 to 55 years old are much more likely to have pain than any other age group.

There are many types of cannabis, each with its own set of effects on the user.

In this post, we’ll look at the top cannabis strains for chronic pain treatment.

What Is Back Pain?

Back pain affects everyone differently, and it comes in a variety of forms. One person may have a herniated disc that causes little discomfort, while another has a minor muscle strain that produces severe back discomfort.

Back discomfort is a difficult condition to treat, and for some individuals, it might last an hour or two, while others may endure for days or even weeks.

The cause of the majority of back pains is difficult to determine, and it perplexes physicians. The spine is a complex chain of bones that supports our posture and connects the various parts of our skeleton together. It is linked to many different elements and activities in our bodies, as well as numerous components of these overlapping structures. It’s frequently tough to identify the precise injury and discover the source of most back pains because to anatomical features in the spine.

Causes of Back Pain

Strained muscles and ligaments, as well as muscular spasms, are the most common causes of lower back discomfort. Straining may be caused by lifting something incorrectly, making an abrupt and painful movement, or even an inflammation.

Other causes of back pain can be a result of structural problems. Some include:

• Ruptured disks – The disks of our spine are cushioned by individual vertebrae. If a disk ruptures, it puts immediate pressure on the nerve, resulting in back discomfort.
• Bulging disks – A bulging disk, like a burst disk, can put pressure on a nerve and cause lower back discomfort.
• Sciatica – There is a sharp, shooting pain that travels down the rear of the leg and into the buttock.
• Arthritis – Osteoarthritis may affect the lower back of people who suffer from it.

Back pain is an ever-present issue, and with today’s fast-paced lifestyle, little things like a poor mattress, sleep disturbances, job pressure, bad posture, and more can all contribute to it. Even the most minor sneeze can cause back discomfort for those who have a weak back.

Pharmaceutical Back Pain Remedies

Back pain, like other types of pain, is not characterized by a single therapy. Back discomfort is treated in many different ways; there are no standards. Others utilize medicine to relieve the suffering based on how severe it is, while others prefer to rest and take ice packs.

Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a popular over-the-counter pain treatment that’s used to treat back discomfort. Prescription medicines such as Celebrex, Voltaren, and Relafen are also available. Opioid narcotics are frequently used to manage severe back pains.

There are prescription-based drugs that may reduce severe discomfort, but they can be highly addictive and have serious negative effects, such as stomach upset, kidney issues, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

How Is Medical Marijuana an Effective Treatment for Back Pain?

Cannabis may be a viable alternative to traditional therapy. Chronic back pain is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment option. Conventional medicines, for example, can produce a slew of negative effects including nausea, indigestion, ulcers, and stomach bleeding. Medical marijuana does not result in the same negative side effects. Here are some of the advantages medical marijuana might provide when used to treat chronic back discomfort:

• You could reduce your pain to the point where you can participate in an active lifestyle.
• It may allow you to cease taking potentially deadly and addictive drugs while improving your overall quality of life.
• Chronic back pain can cause depression, insomnia and anxiety. Medical marijuana can eliminate or reduce many of these symptoms.
• It’s made naturally from plants, without the use of chemicals.

During a research conducted by the University of Colorado, researchers looked at 200 patients with back discomfort. Degenerative changes-related problems gave rise to the pain. Medical marijuana provided significant relief for 89% of those who took part in the study. 81% claimed that medical cannabis was more effective than prescription narcotic medications once or twice per day during their treatment. During the study, patients consumed medical cannabis once or twice daily

What Type of Back Pain Symptoms Are Treated by Medical Marijuana?

Medical marijuana can help alleviate many symptoms of back pain as there are wide range of symptoms with back pain. Here are some of the symptoms medical marijuana can help alleviate:

1. Pain and Muscle Spasms

Marijuana can help reduce muscle spasms. Some studies have reported a 45% reduction in the intensity of pain within 20 minutes of inhalation. And it is particularly effective in treating back spasms. Many states have approved the use of medical marijuana for muscle spasms.

2. Nausea and Vomiting

One of the properties for marijuana is to reduce nausea and vomiting. Traditional medications prescribed for back pain and chronic conditions are opioids and similar drugs. These have side effects of nausea and vomiting. Because marijuana treats both nausea and pain, many patients prefer the marijuana to other drugs. Furthermore, chronic pain can cause depression. Medical marijuana, on the other hand, can creduce depression and improve sleep.

Many states have approved medical marijuana to treat nausea and vomiting. In fact, marijuana has been used among the cancer patient population for a number of years to enhance appetite and as an antiemetic, reducing side effects of chemotherapy.

3. Inflammation

Marijuana has strong anti-inflammatory properties. It is a natural substance to treat inflammation from arthritis, as well as degenerative changes in the lumbar, cervical or thoracic spine. Most back or neck pain occurs due to degenerative changes in the spine. Many patients prefer marijuana to treat their pain due to the inflammation.

Ways to Use Medical Marijuana for Back Pain

Marijuana can be used topically or internally. Some of the best methods using marijuana are as follows:

• Inhalation: This method is smoking or vaping the weed. This produces the fastest affect, within 1-2 minutes
• Raw juice: One can use marijuana as dietary supplement through juicing. This will reduce the pain without a psychoactive effect.
• Tinctures: Tinctures are usually placed under the tongue and swallowed. This produces a quicker result, due to absorption through the mucosal membranes.
• Edibles: Edible marijuana will produce a slower response because absorption needs to transfer through the gut. But, it may last longer in terms of relief and produce a better psychotropic effect. Relief may take up to an hour before one feels the effect.
• Topicals: Topical marijuana produces a different effect. Absorption is localized to the site of the injury. One can ramp up the use based upon the desired effect.

Strains of Marijuana Used for Back Pain

Marijuana has many different strains, and they worked differently for different people and varying symptoms. Heavy THC strains seem to work best at relieving pain, whereas CBD works best for relieving inflammation. However, heavy THC causes more psychoactive effects. Patients may want to use a low THC/high CBD combination during the daytime, to remain more functional, but high THC/low CBD at nighttime, for a better night sleep.

Medical Marijuana and Back Pain

Over the last couple of years, medical marijuana has slowly become a popular choice for many chronic back pain patients. In 1975, scientists began studying the use of THC in cancer patients and found that marijuana was effective in relieving pain without significant side effects.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is one of the purest and most popular indica strains around. The 95 percent indica strain is a cross of Afghani and Thai strains. 

Northern Lights packs a powerful punch of THC that relaxes the body and promotes a mind-boosting feeling of euphoria. The “couch lock” on this strain is very noticeable. (Evidence: I’ve enjoyed many a night of medicating while lazily watching YouTube with my cats.)

ACDC

This CBD-dominant phenotype of Cannatonic and an unknown Ruderalis strain won’t get you high. However, many patients report that “high CBD/low THC medicinals bring on immediate relaxation, a sense of well-being and a very gentle tingling sensation.

Because ACDC is a sativa, users report that it creates a sense of well-being with an increase in sociability. It’s a mellow yet uplifting high. The ACDC strain has a reputation for being good for treating chronic stress or anxiety, arthritis, depression, neuropathy, and migraines.

Black Jack

Indicas are renowned for their pain-relieving properties and sativas are noted for their head-high, but many patients find hybrid strains are a happy-medium. One of the best hybrid strains patients say helps back pain while still being able to focus is BlackJack. BlackJack is a heavily sativa-leaning hybrid strain that crosses Black Domina and Jack Herer. Jack Herer is a cross of Shiva Skunk and Haze with Northern Lights #5. Perhaps the Northern Lights contributes to BlackJack’s magic pain-fighting formula?

Terpinolene dominates the terpene profile of the Blackjack strain. It is noticeable in a slightly piney aroma and flavor. The flowers are large and dense with trichome-encrusted calyxes. The effects of the BlackJack strain are notably long-lasting. It makes it a super choice for busy days where medicating is the last thing on one’s mind.

Finding the Right Strain For You

The road to finding what type of cannabis works best for you can be bumpy given the endless strains and methods of administration. Supply and demand is also an issue. If you find a strain you like, it might not be there the next time you go to the dispensary. Users with significant back pain may feel frustrated and return to pharmaceuticals if they can’t find a strain or method that works for them. Reach out to your doctor or dispensary budtender if you aren’t having any luck choosing or locating a particular strain for recommendations on strains that may be right for you.

Interested in trying medical marijuana for managing chronic back pain? If you don’t have your medical marijuana card yet, schedule your medical marijuana consultation wit hone of our trusted doctors today.

What are Side Effects of Marijuana for Back Pain

While medical marijuana is very effective at treating back pain, there is the potential of experiencing side effects. They are usually mild and go away once your treatment wears off. In any event, it’s good to know what they are, so you can sit down with your doctor to discuss them. There are certain side effects each patient should know about the use of marijuana for back pain, or any other pain. The side effects are usually mild and can go way as a treatment wears off. Patient should discuss the side effects with their doctor. Some of the common side effects are as follows:

• Redness of Eyes: Commonly patients will experience redness of eyes. This is not harmful and can be treated by using eye drops such as Visine.
• Short-term memory loss: This is a temporary side effect and does go away as the treatment wears off. Some patients may be more susceptible to it than the others.  
• Heightened sensory perception: This side effect can impact a patient’s site, hearing, sense of taste and smell.
• Fatigue: This side effect is common with high THC strains. One can balance it with the use of low THC strains.

Final Thoughts About Marijuana and Back Pain

Those of you who suffer from back pain know that when the pain hits, you need an immediate solution. We hope these cannabis strains will provide some relief, and if you’ve got any experience with other strains, please share your knowledge.