Relieving Carpal Tunnel with CBD: What You Need to Know

May 22, 2023

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a bothersome condition that leads to tingling, numbness, and pain. Surprisingly, it affects a significant number of adults in the United States—around 3 to 6 percent of the population. Given the considerable number of individuals struggling with this unpleasant condition, finding ways to alleviate the symptoms is crucial.

One potential option is CBD. More and more people are treating pains and other conditions with natural CBD instead of other medications.

However, does this work? Is CBD an effective way to treat carpal tunnel? Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions and more!

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Everyone’s hands are full of a collection of nerves. These are responsible for relaying signals up and down the arms and into and out of the hands. One of these nerves, the median nerve, passes through the carpal tunnel to make this journey. This tunnel is located in the wrist and, when functioning correctly, causes no trouble for this nerve.

However, if pressure is put on this tunnel, it will exert pressure on the nerve. This can cause a tingling sensation, a feeling of numbness, and pain throughout the hand. This pressure can be created due to pressing the wrist for long periods, putting the wrist in a flexed position, or pregnancy.

Does CBD Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

CBD doesn’t necessarily impact the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, CBD is generally regarded as a product for pain relief. In fact, some people use it as an alternative to less-natural pain relief solutions. So, it may be able to help manage the pain that accompanies carpal tunnel syndrome. Specifically, CBD may be helpful in treating neuropathic pain and chronic pain.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a type of localized peripheral neuropathy. This is essentially a way of saying it is a condition that specifically causes nerve pain. CBD may be helpful in treating this kind of pain. One study found that CBD caused a “statistically significant reduction in intense pain” for patients with peripheral neuropathy.

The pain from carpal tunnel syndrome can also be chronic. CBD has a similar impact on chronic pain. So, it may be that CBD can also be used to help in this case.

How Does CBD Treat Carpal Tunnel Pain?

The exact way in which CBD impacts carpal tunnel pain isn’t fully understood. However, it is speculated that it may be the result of CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Some studies have shown that CBD has an anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammation is a major cause of pain in many body parts, specifically chronic pain. So, reducing this inflammation may be what is helping.

This makes sense, considering what is taking place with carpal tunnel pain. This pain comes from pressure on a nerve. So, reducing some inflammation provides a way to reduce pressure.

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Choosing CBD For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

While CBD may be able to help with carpal tunnel syndrome, there are plenty of CBD options out there. Oils, capsules, gummies, and topical treatments all provide a way to deliver CBD into the system. This can make it a bit difficult to choose an option to go with.

However, for carpal tunnel syndrome, a topical treatment is the most popular choice. This is because these treatments can be applied directly to the wrist, where the source of the carpal tunnel pain is coming from. Plus, topical treatments are typically fast-acting and start working before other types of CBD products would. These factors make a topical treatment more focused and effective than other options.

In addition, CBD products that include THC are likely to be the most effective when it comes to treating this kind of pain. This makes a full-spectrum CBD product the best choice, as most full-spectrum CBD products contain some level of THC.

Together, this information leads to the conclusion that a full-spectrum CBD pain cream is the best choice. If this doesn’t provide enough relief, an even more powerful option with a higher CBD dosage may be necessary.

Regarding a secondary option, most ingested CBD products fare similarly. So, you can go with a gummy, tincture, or capsule instead. They will take longer to start working and won’t provide specialized care. However, they will provide whole-body effects, which some people prefer. If you want to improve the pain-relieving ability of your CBD oil, try looking for a tincture with turmeric, which provides both flavor and inflammation-reducing power.

Other Forms of Treatment

While CBD has the potential to help with carpal tunnel, it can’t do all of the work on its own. Providing other forms of treatment can help lessen the pain even further.

Many major medical organizations suggest treating the issue by avoiding things that will make the issue worse. Wearing a wrist splint prevents the wrist from being hurt in the way that causes carpal tunnel, thus relieving the wrist. Meanwhile, simply avoiding putting pressure on or straining the wrist can help, even without a splint.

More serious treatments include some anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription medications. In even more serious cases, surgery may be necessary.

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Talking With a Doctor About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

While at-home CBD treatments have the potential to help treat carpal tunnel syndrome, it is important to remember that they can’t do everything. There are situations where seeing a doctor is helpful or even necessary.

For one, people dealing with carpal tunnel should see a doctor before starting any treatment plan, as their doctor can tell them if the treatments will interfere with any medications or conditions they have. In addition, visiting a doctor is necessary if treatments, like CBD treatments, aren’t providing enough help. In this situation, a doctor may be able to plan out additional care options or prescribe a steroid injection that can work alongside the CBD treatments.

In addition, it is important to note if the pain from the condition worsens or spreads. In this case, it may be a symptom of a more serious condition that requires a medical professional’s attention.