All pain is not the same. The causes and the intensity of pain can vary, meaning that the method to treat each pain should be different. Neuropathic pain is one of the severe pain that is found in many people. It can be chronic, excruciating and annoying at times. Nerve pain is not a simple ache or muscularpain that can be massaged away, as there is no accurate cure for this pain. However, victims of nerve pain can get relief by therapies, especially which includes cannabidiol (CBD), as one of the established health benefits of CBD is for pain.
The nature of neuropathic pain
This type of pain results from damaged, irritated or dysfunctional nerves. As the nerve cells get damaged and confused, they will send mixed signals to the brain and other systems in your body. This pain will vary from person to person, as the way their body react will be different.
A lot of people suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a condition that is caused by the damage of the peripheral nervous system, which is a communication network that transmits information between different parts of your body and the central nervous system including the brain and the spinal cord. The symptoms of neuropathic pain include:
- Paresthesia which can be referred to as the prickly, tingling or numbing sensations you may feel in extremities such as your hands.
- Allodynia is a type of abnormal sensitivity towards stimulation that can result in distorted and intense experience of touch.
- Weakness of muscle, organ dysfunction, nocturnal pain, paralysis.
- Other functions like digestion, urination, sweating, etc. may also suffer from nerve damage.
Causes of nerve pain
Some nerve pain can be a result of genetic disorders. Other significant reasons include:
- Traumatic injury that is caused by auto accidents, falls, sports injuries, surgical procedures, etc.
- Repeated or prolonged stress on muscle groups.
- Metabolic or Endocrine disorders such as diabetics.
- Vasculitis, which is caused by the narrowing of blood vessels that will reduce the flow of oxygen to the nerves.
- Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc.
- Cancer tumors and the treatments used for this disease including radiation, chemotherapy, etc. may cause nerve damage.
- Viruses that attack nerve tissues may also damage them and cause nerve pain.
CBD for nerve pain
Some research indicates that CBD may be helpful to reduce nerve pain. It is believed that CBD can target the α3 glycine receptors in your body thereby effectively controlling the neuropathic pain. However, the mechanism in which CBD works for nerve pain still remains unrevealed. Therefore, further studies are needed to establish the real effect of CBD for neuropathic pain. However, it can be used for the treatment of inflammation, insomnia, etc. caused by neuropathic pain.