If you suffer from sciatica or sciatic pain, then you know just how difficult life can get. This is one of the worst pains that people can suffer from because it is completely debilitating.
Sciatica refers to numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain in the leg and lower back. What is interesting to know is that this is generally caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve or by an injury. In other words, it's a symptom of an issue, not a condition of its own.
If you have tried everything possible that your doctors recommended to get rid of or control sciatic nerve pain, but still don't know what to do, trying some cannabis might be your next best option. As you will see shortly, there are indications that cannabis may be able to help people with sciatic nerve pain.
Today, we want to take a closer look at exactly what sciatic nerve pain is, and whether or not cannabis might be able to help it. Afterward, we're going to take a look at some of the top contenders for the best strain for sciatic pain.
Key Takeaways
- CBD may be able to reduce inflammation.
- THC may act as an analgesic painkiller.
- A combination of CBD and THC may be able to help people suffering from sciatica.
What Causes Sciatic Nerve Pain?
Sciatica involves extreme pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling in the leg and lower back. It is generally caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve or an injury to the sciatic nerve. However, it's not a medical condition of its own, but rather a symptom of another critical problem.
The vast majority of people will feel extreme pain in one life, but usually not in both. In case you didn't know, the sciatic nerve starts in your lower back and goes down both of your legs, and it controls the muscles in your lower leg and the back of your knee.
It also helps provide you with feeling in the outer end back part of the lower leg, the soul of the foot, and the back of the thigh. There are a few common causes of sciatic pain, which include spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, a slipped herniated disc, tumors, or a pelvic injury or fracture.
Can Cannabis Help with Nerve Pain?
There are indeed some strong indications that cannabis may be able to help with nerve pain, otherwise known as neuropathic pain, such as sciatica. It is believed that cannabis, both through its anti-inflammatory and analgesic painkilling properties, may be able to help relieve some of the symptoms or severity of nerve pain.
Furthermore, it is thought that both THC and CBD may be able to play important roles here. If we are talking about THC, it's more about the painkilling aspect of things, and if we're talking about CBD, it's more about its anti-inflammatory properties.
Let's move on and take a quick look at how THC and CBD may both be able to help with back pain and inflammation, and ultimately help relieve some of the pain caused by sciatica.
How Does THC Help with Lower Back Pain?
According to recent studies, THC may be able to help relieve some lower back pain, mainly thanks to its painkilling properties. It is believed that THC, particularly in high doses, is able to help relieve some pain by acting as an analgesic. Analgesics act by blocking pain signals from getting from your nerves to your brain.
Technically speaking, analgesic painkillers don't take your pain away. They don't treat the cause of the pain, but rather just stop you from feeling the pain. For many people who suffer from sciatica, this is something to consider, as there is some evidence that THC can help treat neuropathic pain.
In many cases, sciatic nerve pain is extremely difficult to treat, and in some cases impossible. Therefore, although high doses of THC may not be able to treat the underlying cause of sciatic nerve pain, it may at least be able to help stop you from feeling the pain. One can assume that a combination of THC and CBD may be effective at reducing sciatic nerve pain.
How Does CBD Help with Inflammation in the Body?
CBD is thought to be an anti-inflammatory agent. There are indeed several studies as of late that confirm that CBD does reduce inflammation throughout the body. That being said, there is some more research required to figure out exactly how CBD reduces inflammation.
One possible way that CBD may be able to help relieve inflammation, according to research, is by reducing the amount of cytokines in the human body. Cytokines are created by the immune system, and these are signaling proteins that control inflammation in the body. The more cytokines there are in your body, the more inflammation you will have. Therefore, if CBD is able to reduce the amount of cytokines being produced, it should (in theory) also be able to help reduce inflammation.
It is also believed, according to recent studies, that CBD may also be able to help reduce T-cell proliferation in the body, which may also be able to reduce inflammation. Although we may not know 100% how CBD reduces inflammation in the body, studies indicates the signs are promising. Therefore, if you are having inflammation related to your sciatic nerve pain, taking some CBD may be able to help her reach some of that information, and therefore pain.
On a side note, Delta-8 THC may also be able to help with inflammation. Remember, this could also help people with arthritis. Seniors suffering from fibromyalgia may also be able to benefit from various cannabis strains.
What it all comes down to here is that strains of cannabis that contain high levels of both THC and CBD, thanks to the combined analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, may have benefits for people suffering from sciatic nerve pain. Let's move on and take a look at some of the best weed for sciatica pain.
7 Best Strains for Sciatica
Right now, we want to take a look at some of the top contenders for the best strain or sciatic pain.
1. Bubba Kush
Bubba Kush might just be the best weed strain for back pain. Although the exact origins of this strain are not exactly known, it is thought that it is of Afghani descent. This is an Indica strain with 17% THC, which is fairly moderate. However, this should be more than enough THC to provide you with some pain relief benefits.
Because it's an Indica, you’ll also feel sedated, heavy, relaxed, calm, a bit euphoric, and much less stressed out. It's also a good strain to help you get some sleep. It's a good strain for most people, because the 17% THC is not overly high, so beginners should be fine with it.
People also tend to like this strain because it has a very hash, chocolatey, and coffee-like flavor. Check out our Botany Farms Bubba Kush Vape Cart right here.
2. Super Sour Diesel
If what you need is a high level of THC to act as an analgesic painkiller, this Super Sour Diesel with a whopping 23% THC might be right for you. This is a Sativa cannabis strain that is made by crossing Sour Diesel with Super Silver Haze.
This strain is well known for being a fantastic pain reliever, while also spurring creativity, focus, and euphoria. This is also known as being quite a good daytime strain because it tends to be energetic. Just be aware that 23% THC is quite a bit, so this strain might not be ideal for beginners with very low THC tolerances.
This strain produces an extremely strong cerebral effect. If you're wondering what it tastes like, fuel is the number one flavor here. If you happen to like diesel strains, check out our Botany Farms Delta-8 Blueberry Diesel. It’s super tasty!
3. Cannatonic
Here we have what might just be some of the best cannabis for back pain, this Cannatonic strain, as it contains both THC and CBD. It is made by crossing G13 Haze with MK Ultra, with the result being a fairly mellow strain that contains 4% THC and 9% CBD, therefore offering you both painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties.
People also say that this strain is extremely relaxing bodily while being mentally uplifting. When people who need medical cannabis go for the Cannatonic strain, particularly to help treat migraines, muscle spasms, pain, anxiety, and other such issues. If you like sweet citrus and earthiness, you might like the flavor of Cannatonic.
4. ACDC
If you need a CBD-dominant strain that is ideal for inflammation relief, then this ACDC strain might be right for you, as it contains 13% CBD. For those of you who don't know, 13% CBD is extremely high for any strain. AC/DC is generally not intoxicating at all, yet should help to relieve some inflammation and pain.
It does contain around 1% THC, although this usually won't be enough to get you high. If he likes flavors of pine, herbs, spiciness, and word, then you might really enjoy this strain.
5. Dancehall
Dancehall is very similar to the strain we discussed above, particularly in terms of cannabinoid content. It is a cross between Juanita La Lagrimosa and Kalijah. This one also contains 13% CBD with around 1% THC.
Therefore, it should not have enough THC to get you high, but it certainly has enough CBD to help relieve some information and pain. This strain is also said to be quite social and creative in nature, plus it has a great spicy and sweet flavor.
6. Harlequin
Here we have the Harlequin cannabis strain, which is ideal for people looking for pain and inflammation relief because it contains 9% CBD and 5% THC. As far as the balance between CBD and THC goes, this is by far one of the best strains on the list today.
Thanks to the CBD, this strain should help to relieve some information, and because of the THC, it should have some painkilling properties as well. Keep in mind that 5% THC, although very low, is still more than enough to have psychoactive effects on most people, especially if you have a low tolerance.
Harlequin is a Sativa strain made by crossing a Thai landrace strain, a Swiss landrace strain, a Nepali Indica, and Colombian gold. In terms of the flavors, here you are going to get sweet mango, earthiness, and musk. If you like CBD strains, but don’t want to do any hard work, check out our Sugar Queen CBD Pre-Rolls.
7. White Widow
White Widow is yet another great strain that can help relieve pain, stress, and more. It is a cross between a South Indian Indica and a Brazilian Sativa landrace strain. This is a balanced tiebreaker that will offer you benefits from both the Sativa and the Indica sides of things.
It contains roughly 15% THC, which is fairly moderate, so it should be fine for beginners and seasoned smokers alike. If you like earthy, woody, and spicy cannabis, then White Widow might be right for you.
Final Thoughts: Best Strain for Sciatica
The seven strains we looked at above could possibly be considered the best weed for sciatica pain. Now it is up to you to find a specific strain that works best for you, as everybody is different and reacts differently to various types of cannabis.
