Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain?

Topical lotions and salves are becoming one of the most convenient CBD administration methods for users with an active lifestyle. Generally, topical lotions infused with CBD provide weekend warriors, athletes, and anyone with a quick means to target muscle pains and aches. Additionally, apart from physical pain relief for the muscle, CBD lotions might also help usher psychological relaxation as well.

More people who suffer from acute or chronic pain are learning that CBD might work as a safe and natural alternative. So far, evidence suggests some advantages over prescription painkillers, which could be addictive and dangerous. Not only that, but unlike CBD edibles, capsules, or oils, topical salves and lotions work as soon as they touch the skin.

Thus, lotions and salves are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for people wanting quick pain relief. Those afflicted with nerve pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis pain, painful muscle strains, and other disorders may want to try this topical. In this article, you’ll learn the answer to the burning question – ‘can I rub CBD oil on my skin for pain?’. Let’s dive right in.

How Do CBD Lotions Work?

The top reason why topical lotions and salves are effective is that, upon rubbing them in your skin, the CBD goes directly to your endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is an extremely complex cell-signaling system that regulates a number of important functions in our bodies.

Research is still ongoing to understand the ECS fully. However, so far, they are certain it has a significant role in regulating key bodily processes. Those include:

• Pain response and regulation.
• Memory.
• Appetite.
• Sleep.
• Mood.
• Liver function.
• Bone growth.
• Skin and nerve functioning.
• Stress.
• Metabolism.
• Inflammation and immune responses.
• Motor control.
• Learning.
• Pain reduction and regulation.
• Fertility.

Going deeper regarding the ECS, the system consists of a network of receptors. It has two different kinds of cannabinoid receptors:

• CB1 receptors – found in the central nervous system.
• CB2 receptors – located in the peripheral nervous system.

In general, each of these functions helps maintain the body in a homeostatic state. Injury, pain, or chronic health conditions are able to throw off these functions. That’s when the ECS comes into action and helps your body return to a balanced state of normal functioning.

So, Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain?

If you use a full-spectrum CBD topical salve or lotion, the amounts of CBD and traces of THC in the cream will interact with your ECS. Researchers discovered that THC helps stimulate appetite and relieve pain by interacting with the CB1 receptors.

On the other hand, CBD inhibits the breakdown of endocannabinoids, the cannabinoids your body produces on its own. Thus, allowing them to linger and deliver their pain-relieving effects for longer than usual. Furthermore, researchers believe that CBD may help relieve nausea, pain, and other undesirable symptoms caused by some health conditions.

Once you rub a CBD topical lotion into a place of discomfort, it will enter into your skin and sebaceous glands. From there, it will work with your body synergistically, potentially alleviating inflammation and pain. Thus, topical CBD lotions can directly help to relieve pain in the specific body areas you apply it to.

Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain? – Targeting Different Conditions & Injuries

Yes! You can apply a CBD topical lotion onto your body to experience pain relief. But you can also incorporate other modalities to further enhance the effects and, thus, the greater relief you’ll get. For example, why don’t you try adding ice to further reduce the inflammation or swelling after applying the CBD topical?

Ice or heat on top of topical cream might also be an ideal method of calming arthritis pain. It can also help with other chronic pain from knee injuries, gout, Crohn’s Disease, bursitis, fibromyalgia, etc.

CBD topical lotion might help with burns, rashes, skin infections, psoriasis, sore muscles, sore joints, eczema, acute and chronic pain.

How to Use CBD Lotions

Once you start using CBD lotions, you’ll first have to apply the lotion around the painful region to treat it locally.

You would also need to identify how many milligrams of CBD the topical has to ensure that you’re getting the right dosage. That way, you’ll know whether there’s enough CBD in the lotion to offer you therapeutic relief. In most cases, topical creams containing relatively lower milligrams of CBD are going to be less useful than those with higher content.

Generally speaking, you should apply topical CBD lotions as you would take CBD oil: begin low and move up slowly. Start with a low dose and then slowly increase until you find the amount that offers you optimal therapeutic relief.

In terms of deciding on a lotion, there are many varieties to choose from. Certain topicals are creams that help to moisturize your skin. Others are ointments, liniments, salves, or balms with CBD that create cold or hot sensations for additional pain relief.

Typically, topical lotions can consist of a host of natural ingredients like

• Mint
• Citrus
• Menthol
• Pepper
• Methyl salicylate
• Camphor
• Triethanolamine salicylate

The topical type you choose will purely depend on both need and preference. It doesn’t matter the variety; the topical will have the same function.

Typically, when you’re applying lotion to an area that hurts, you apply it precisely where the pain comes from. If you’re uncertain as to where the pain is coming from, just apply it to the surrounding area.

Applying CBD Lotions

Applying lotion to different trigger points will also help reduce pain in the general area. You could apply your lotion to the soles of the feet, wrists, knees, shoulders, temples, neck, and any joint and muscles surrounding the larger pain area that discomforts you.

Another important thing when using lotion is to always ensure that the area you’re rubbing it onto is clean. Make sure to cleanse it from dirt, sweat, and even dead skin cells before applying. If your skin is clean, then the CBD molecules will be more likely to reach the particular affected area.

If you apply the lotion said that area, make sure you’re using a good-sized dollop. Instead of simply rubbing the lotion onto the area, thoroughly and softly massage it into your skin. Deeply massaging the topical into your skin helps to boost the blood flow to that area. Consequently, the lotion will penetrate deeper into your tissue and better spread throughout the body area.

Of course, always remember to clean your hands after using a topical lotion. Certain brands have either heating or cooling ingredients added to them. Thus, it wouldn’t feel nice if you, for example, touched your mouth or rubbed your eyes after an application. You might also want to avoid applying lotions with methanol, camphor, pepper, or mint to the backs of your knees or the insides of your elbows as the skin might easily irritate.

Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain? – How Long Would It Take to Work?

You could feel relief from general pains and aches such as sore, sunburns, minor skin irritations, or strained muscles almost instantly. However, chronic pain problems caused by bursitis, arthritis, or other disorders will take longer to control.

The primary goal is to be patient and know that some conditions require more time than others to manage. In case your pain still continues, you should talk to your main care physician to better guide you to treat the condition.

Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain Relief? – What Are the Benefits?

CBD, a compound of the cannabis and hemp plants, is associated with numerous potential therapeutic effects:

• Nerve pain reduction
• Alleviation from chronic pain
• Improvement in sleep & relaxation
• Reduced inflammation
• Decreased anxiety and depression
• Relief of muscle tension and muscle spasms
• Nausea relief

Apart from helping alleviate these conditions, CBD topical lotions/oils/salves may help improve your skin’s overall health. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties can also help the skin moisturize, relieve pain and itching, and minimize oil production. What’s more, topical CBD lotion may help people with psoriasis, eczema, and other inflammatory skin issues.

Some people worry about buying full-spectrum products because they’re afraid that it will get them “high”. By law, each full-spectrum CBD product contains no more than 0.3% THC, which is so little that it is not enough to get you remotely high. What’s more, when using full-spectrum topical lotions, the extra compound included works in tandem with CBD to give a more powerful effect.

Can I Rub CBD Oil on My Skin for Pain? – The Takeaway

Are you suffering from muscle sprains or strains, sports injuries? Is it acute or chronic pain from health conditions like back pain, bursitis, Fibromyalgia, Crohn’s Disease, or arthritis? Well, a topical CBD oil may be the best choice to help you treat specific, localized pain in your body.

It provides you with fast, targeted relief in a way that edible options cannot. You can use topical CBD oil alone or add other modalities like ice or heat to get more out of it. Muscle tension problems, sports injuries, and tough muscle pain are all things CBD topical can help you with.