Hey everyone, Dr. Rowe coming to you from SpineCare in St. Joseph, MI.
In this video we’re going to ask: can CBD Oil really help with relieving sciatica?
Is it effective, and strong enough to actually tackle the pain?
Or is it all smoke and mirrors and too good to be true?
Let’s find out!
Before we start, though, I want to say in full disclosure that I’m not benefiting
from or promoting any product or brand of CBD oil.
This video is just my personal thoughts on the matter that I wanted to share.
If you’ve ever suffered from sciatica, you know how much of a nightmare it can be.
It pretty much makes almost every daily activity uncomfortable and inconvenient.
For many suffers, they rely on over-the-counter painkillers to make it through the day.
And in more severe cases, pain management through opioid pain medications, steroids,
and injections may be prescribed.
It’s no secret that the opioid epidemic is real, and many people have reservations
about taking something that has a high risk of side-effects, including addiction.
That’s why the appeal of CBD is growing, since it offers the potential for effective
pain relief on top of being natural, non-habit forming, and having little to no side-effects.
No doubt, CBD use is also growing steadily, and is being used for treating conditions
such as anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and much more.
So let’s take a look at how CBD may help relieve sciatica pain, and start by going
over what exactly CBD oil is and where it comes from.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is commonly known as hemp oil.
It is a form of cannabis, which includes the well known marijuana plant.
Cannabis contains a number of different compounds, each with different effects on the body and mind.
The two main active ingredients are Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol (CBD).
THC is the part that produces the characteristic ‘high’ of marijuana, while CBD is associated
with therapeutic qualities and is not psychoactive.
Producers of CBD have developed cannabis strains that have virtually no THC, primarily hemp plants.
The oil produced from these hemp plants contain less than 0.3% THC, which means it is not
intoxicating and DOES NOT have any mind-altering properties.
Due to that, CBD oil is federally legal in every state and does not require a prescription.
I want to note, though, it is also not regulated by the FDA and is considered a supplement.
Next, let’s move on to some key aspects of sciatica.
If you’re unfamiliar with sciatica, especially its causes and symptoms, and want to know
more, I’m going to provide a link in this video’s description to another video I’ve
done that goes over it in more detail.
So check it out after watching this video to learn more.
Sciatica is pain that travels, or radiates, along the path of the sciatic nerve.
This large nerve begins in your lower back and forks into two (left and right) to travel
from the buttocks, into the legs and feet.
Sciatica has a couple main causes, with the most common being a lumbar herniated disc
that presses onto and pinches a nearby nerve.
The other is due to spinal stenosis, which is when the spinal canal (where the nerves
travel through) narrow and close off, again pinching nearby nerves.
The sciatic nerve is very sensitive, and when it becomes compressed or irritated by one
of the reasons above, it may cause symptoms like mild to debilitating pain, tingling,
or numbness into the areas it travels.
One of the things that makes sciatica pain difficult to treat is that it is often a combination
of two different kinds of pain, nociceptive and neuropathic.
Nociceptive pain is caused when nerves are reacting to tissue damage, which sends signals
to the central nervous system (your brain) that something has gone wrong.
Neuropathic pain is when the nerves themselves are damaged, usually through compression causing
inflammation and irritation.
So what is it about CBD that makes it potentially effective in taking on sciatica pain?
It’s this: CBD stimulates a part of the brain called the endocannabinoid system, a
system responsible for communicating "good and bad signals" throughout your body.
When CBD stimulates this system, it can change a bad signal to a good one, which may have
the ability to alleviate both neuropathic and nociceptive pain, as well as helping to
reduce inflammation.
Currently, though, studies on cannabis, including both CBD and THC, are still in the early stages.
I could not find one definitive study directly linking CBD use and pain management of sciatica.
However, the process in which CBD works is very promising and could be an all-natural alternative
to opioid drugs and other painkillers.
I can say though, that CBD oil WILL NOT cure any underlying issue causing sciatica, such
as spinal stenosis or a herniated disc.
So please do not take it as a substitute for getting the proper care you need from a
licensed healthcare professional!
For those sciatica sufferers that have tried CBD oil, please leave your experiences and
results in the comments section below, all of us would like to hear from you!
Also, if you have any other comments or questions, please feel free to leave them and I’ll
get back to you as soon as I can.
Thanks for watching!