Roughly 80% of Canadians and Americans suffer from back muscle pain and tense back muscles at some point in life. While up to 30-60% are ‘deemed’ to suffer for the rest of their lives. That’s millions upon millions living in physical agony, and thus mental agony, to some extent.
If you fall into either category, your days are likely frustrating, your immediate goals and plans are likely hindered – at the very least. While at most, your life has taken a completely different direction. Perhaps, it’s needing assistance with even the smallest daily tasks, forcing you into early retirement.
Sure, a whole host of solutions are available – from medication to massages, from heat therapy to foam rollers, and, even, sleeping accessories like brand-new mattresses. But, are they worth the financial and health costs (side effects)? All the time and effort invested? And more importantly, if they are, are these options reliably effective?
Many have tried, and are forced to conclude that – no, many of today’s available solutions aren’t effective, let alone realistic. Especially if it’s used as a stand-alone treatment.
As a result, these same many are forced to explore other alternatives – one of them being cannabis. And, believe it or not, some are experiencing relief for the first time.
So, this then begs the question – should you try cannabis for your back muscle-related issues?
Here, in this article, we’ll introduce you to why and how cannabis can be used for back-related ailments, with hopes of not only helping you make more informed decisions but being free of the physical limitations that plague so many of us.
However, before we deep dive into that, let’s start with the basics of back muscle pain and tension.
What Causes Tension in Your Back Muscles?
Are you lifting regularly at work? Or do you find yourself lifting weights at the gym? What about lifting the not so little rug rats every so often? Believe it or not, these activities can result in torn ligaments that both, directly and indirectly, cause back muscle tension.
What about your job? Do you work with a computer? Sitting, melting in front of the screen for 8 plus hours a day? If you’re doing so with a poor slouching posture, you’re also likely to experience back muscle pain in one form or another.
Hell, even a bad mattress or your diet, as in certain foods you eat, can produce back inflammation. And not to mention, doing your best impression of a couch potato while Netflix bingeing is another way.
Or maybe, your back pain occurred more naturally, without a specific event. These can be less severe, coming in the form of random, out of the blue muscle spasms – or they can be extremely severe, such as bulging discs that impose pressure on the nerves, along with the various forms of arthritis. Issues not to be taken lightly.
Simply, there are many causes to back muscle pain, a whole lot more than we’re mentioning here, as time and space are limitations. Yet, with so many causes, the question then becomes – how is it normally treated?
How do You Treat Tension in Your Back Muscles?
If you’ve dealt with back muscle pain before, then you’re probably aware of the many treatment options.
On the inexpensive price end, a whole host exist – from foam rollers to theracanes, from heat pads to hot showers, and of course, Tylenol and the various other pharmaceuticals. Also light on the pocket are regular visits to your local community centre’s steam room, along with warm baths combined with the right organic aromas and salts.
For mid-price treatments – therapies like hot stone and deep tissue massages are also available. Some even prefer the use of orthopedic chairs or a more ergonomic-friendly mattress.
If cost isn’t so much an issue (or if you have great insurance), then back surgery might be a worthy, yet risky alternative. But this isn’t realistic for many.
Conventional treatments aside, however, there’s one option that’s increasingly being accepted into the mainstream, that is, cannabis in all its varied forms.
How to Consume Cannabis for Your Back Muscles Pain
If you’re not already familiar, there are several ways to consume cannabis – with the most renowned being to smoke its valuable THC, CBD, and terpene compounds.
But, as the laws gradually change, and the industry becomes more mainstream, innovators are increasingly finding new ways to absorb its valuable compounds. As a result, you can find it in pill, lotion, oil or vape ready forms.
However, one of the more popular ways for back muscle relief is through ingestion, or simply, through eating.
How and why you might ask?
Why Eat Cannabis Edibles?
Well, because cannabis’ valuable compounds still retain their medical value in higher temperatures, they can be used as a therapeutic ingredient in making a plethora of different foods – from sugar desserts to the highest nutrient, energy rejuvenating snacks.
As for the reasons why: For one, eating rids the toxic carcinogenic effects normally associated with smoking, while being more potent and longer lasting. In fact, edibles are said to be 5 times more psychoactive than smoking, lasting anywhere from 4 to 12 hours, depending on your tolerance.
Make Sure You Weigh the Dose
Being so potent, it’s also extremely important to measure the dosage – both as an ingredient used while cooking, and the amount you plan to eat in one sitting. Otherwise, you’ve forfeited the day to the cannabis gods.
And, if you have no interest in experiencing cannabis’ psychoactive effects, then trying CBD concentrated edibles should be on your agenda. Having a different chemical profile than THC, CBD (cannabidiol) is completely non-psychoactive, and, proven to be integral in solving many conditions – from epilepsy to anxiety to inflammation, and a lot more.
In other words, eating CBD edibles will give you cannabis’ health benefits without making you feel stoned.
But, even with all this said, how can you truly know if eating cannabis edibles is the right decision for you?
Are Edibles the Right Choice for You?
Knowing if edibles are right for you is somewhat like skydiving or trying your aunt’s very own guacamole – it’s through experience that you’ll only know, like it or not.
Cannabis Holds Subjective Qualities
Because the truth is, cannabis’s effects, along with other drugs in general, have a subjective quality – meaning, the effects can vary from person to person, whether it’s a Sativa or Indica strain. Not to mention, the many differences in our preferences.
In one way, this makes using cannabis the liberal’s back muscle treatment of choice, given the wide selection of products available, from edibles to tinctures, from THC to CBD concentrates.
For instance, if you’re seeking an experience that provides back muscle pain relief, with the added qualities of relaxation and a sense of euphoria, then THC edibles are likely the right choice. But, if hovering up in the clouds with seemingly world-changing insights is not a priority, let alone an interest, then CBD edibles are a step forward.
Assessing Your Alternative Options for Back Muscle Pain
Another way of determining if edibles are right for you is through assessing your current medical alternatives.
Such as, are you currently using pharmaceuticals? If you are, are these meds racking up your expenses, and are the side effects starting to take their toll? Or, is taking them even worth the side effects to begin with? The last thing you want is to join the opiate dependency and addiction epidemic.
What about invasive surgeries? Is your next best option to undergo an uncertain, yet costly surgery? If this is out of reach, then the many forms of cannabis may be a treatment you want to explore.
Ultimately, assessing your best alternatives and deciding which treatment options to explore is something you, your family, your closest friends, and your health care professionals should selectively take part in.
Looking for a diverse selection of cannabis edibles? CBD and THC concentrated?
But, with the wide selection of cannabis products at your fingertips, along with its varying levels of THC, CBD and terpene content, and the extremely low risk involved, why not try it?
Herb Approach, the cannabis health company, specializes in everything marijuana-related. We carry over 400 different products, that hold over an aggregate of 12,000 reviews. We also have a points and exchange system if such reviews don’t provide the product satisfaction you need.
For more info, talk to our customer reps, and find the right cannabis treatment for your lingering back muscles today.