What Cream Is Best for Lower Back Pain?

 Lower back pain can cause a lot of discomforts, making one search for perfect remedies to ease the pain. This blog explains the best cream for lower back pain by providing information on ways CBD cream tackles lower back pain and factors to consider before purchasing the best CBD cream for lower back pain.

Creams are cosmetic products composed of essential ingredients for skin applications. It can hydrate, nourish, and improve your overall skin complexity. However, they require an additional addiction to relieve back pain. Infusing your cream with a herbal remedy like cannabidiol (CBD) can help you relieve lower back pain. CBD is an active chemical compound extracted majorly from the leaves and flowers of the legal hemp plant. The plant is one of the cannabis strains. CBD cream moisturizes the skin and helps one relax the mind, reduce anxiety, and treat severe skin diseases like acne and arthritis, and body pains.

Ways CBD Cream Tackles Lower Back Pain

According to Boehnke et al. (2022), CBD penetrates the deeper layers of the skin, interacting with the skin cannabinoid receptors (CB2) when you apply CBD cream to your lower abdomen. The skin and CB1 receptors are components of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) mandated to control body balance. Schilling et al. (2020) explained that CBD induces the ECS to produce endocannabinoids (anandamide) that combine with the receptors to help relieve lower back pain by;

• Reducing inflammatory cell activities activated by the immune system, causing cell and tissue damage.
• Blocking signaling of pain terminals to the brain neurons through the central nervous system, thus making you feel calm and relaxed.
• Acting as a healing agent by increasing healthy cell reproduction in replace of damaged and dead cells, CBD cream is rich in organic nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids from the hemp plant that aid in fastening the internal body healing process.

Stress increases cell inflammation activities causing more internal damage and pain. When CBD is absorbed into the bloodstream through skin pores, it is transported into the brain, interacting with the brain cannabinoid receptors (CB1). This increases the serotonin hormone production that alters how your brain perceives pain and negative emotions, making you feel relaxed and calm.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing the Best CBD Cream for Lower Back Pain

There are various CBD products in the market, from CBD edibles, capsules, concentrates, and tinctures to CBD creams. Companies use different ingredients and manufacturing methods, resulting in diverse types of CBD cream. Therefore, choosing the best product for pain relief can be complicated and overwhelming. Consider the following factors in choosing the best product;

Go Organic

Choosing CBD creams with organic nutrients is essential in the healing process of lower back pain. The cream's nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, can heighten CBD's healing power. Sharma et al. (2021) advised that one should avoid buying CBD cream contaminated with chemical residues, such as heavy metals or malic acid. Additionally, research whether your product is mixed with organic carrier oils like coconut, hemp seed oil, or industrial chemical oil during the dilution of CBD cream. The organic oils are rich with omega 3 and 6 that contain analgesic properties crucial for treating pain.

CBD Source

Always choose a CBD cream whose CBD is extracted from the hemp plant. The plant contains a high CBD concentration and a low psychoactive cannabinoid (THC) level. The end product will be contaminated with unpleasant chemicals if the hemp plant is grown using chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Avoid applying CBD cream from marijuana plants because it may contain a high percentage of THC, thus inducing intoxicating effects when dealing with pain.

THC Content

Tetrahydrocannabinol is the most popular and misused cannabinoid in the cannabis world. It is primarily associated with mind-altering effects, such as paranoia, hallucination, confusion, highness, and increased anxiety. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not regulated the manufacturing and selling of hemp products, some CBD creams may be contaminated with THC levels above the recommended percentage (less than 0.3%). THC may help relieve lower back pain since it is much stronger than CBD, but if you are uncomfortable with its highness, avoid purchasing CBD creams with THC, like full-spectrum.

Certificate of Analysis (COA)

Check whether the CBD product has undergone third-party testing to ensure you buy the best CBD cream for pain by considering the THC level, hemp sourced, organic-based product, or high CBD potency. The lab should be independent of the company board to ensure transparency.

Extraction Method

Most manufacturers and cannabis experts advise people to use CBD products derived from the CO₂ extraction technique because it produces the best products. There are different methods of extracting CBD; some methods may leave behind dangerous chemical residues that can cause undesirable side effects when taken. For instance, CBD creams manufactured from affordable methane-solvent extraction methods are contaminated with alkenes traces in their ingredients because the solvent doesn't evaporate entirely during extraction.

The Potency of CBD Cream

Potency refers to the strength of a product. The stronger the concentration of CBD cream, the more effective and faster the product is in relieving lower back pain. You might not feel anything after applying CBD cream with low CBD potency, depending on your body chemistry. The best potency for pain is a cream with 50 mg to 100 mg of CBD per 1000 ml bottle.

Manufacturer's Reputation

According to Cohen & Sharfstein (2019), understanding the manufacturer's reputation is another thing to look at when purchasing CBD cream for back pain. The producer can easily affect the quality of products. One of the proper techniques to learn about the manufacturer's reputation is by reading online reviews or ratings and consumers' comments. Always be cautious in applying CBD cream from a manufacturer with nasty customer comments or poor ratings.

The Bottom Line

CBD cream has gained popularity in the skincare industry by improving skin complexity or appearance and can aid in treating back pains and muscle discomforts. However, the CBD market is unregulated, meaning many companies are greedy for profits and not for the consumers' safety. To avoid purchasing low-quality products, you should consider; the origin of the hemp plant, THC levels in the product, whether the brand is reputable, extraction methods employed, and the right concentration.

References

Boehnke, K. F., Gagnier, J. J., Matallana, L., & Williams, D. A. (2022). Cannabidiol product dosing and decision-making in a national survey of individuals with fibromyalgia. The Journal of Pain, 23(1), 45-54.

Cohen, P. A., & Sharfstein, J. (2019). The opportunity of CBD—reforming the law. N Engl J Med, 381(4), 297-9.

Schilling, S., Dowling, C. A., Shi, J., Ryan, L., Hunt, D., OReilly, E., ... & Melzer, R. (2020). The cream of the crop: Biology, breeding, and applications of Cannabis sativa. Authorea Preprints.

Sharma, A., Kumar, A., Li, C., Hazari, P. P., Mahajan, S. D., Aalinkeel, R., ... & Swihart, M. T. (2021). A cannabidiol-loaded Mg-gallate metal-organic framework-based potential therapeutic for glioblastomas. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 9(10), 2505-2514.