What Is the Best Marijuana Strain for Chronic Pain?

If you’re suffering from chronic pain, you’re not alone. As many as 20 percent of U.S. adults suffer from chronic pain — that’s about one in five Americans. Chronic pain comes in many shapes and sizes; sometimes you might know the cause, sometimes you might not.

Thankfully, there are solutions.

In the 21st century, the stigma around marijuana is dying. Many people, young and old, are realizing that medical marijuana could be the answer to their ailments. This article will be your guide for managing pain with marijuana and help you find the best marijuana strain for chronic pain.

Knowing the Facts About Marijuana For Pain

Before you learn about the best cannabis strains to treat pain, you should learn a little about how and why people use marijuana for pain. Let’s take a look at the reasons why marijuana is an effective pain reliever and the ways different people work it into their day-to-day life.

How It Relieves Pain

Marijuana has two active components that help to relieve pain. These are CBD and THC.

THC, to put it simply, is the psychoactive component of marijuana. It triggers reward receptors in the brain and reduces pain. It also causes a high, but don’t worry, if you don’t want t get high, many strains of marijuana feature low THC levels.

CBD is the non-psychoactive component of marijuana. It relaxes the body and helps relieve pain, without causing any sort of high. If you’re looking to relieve pain without feeling sedated in any way, a strain that focuses on CBD is your best bet.

How It’s Taken  

Medical marijuana can be taken in many ways, so if you don’t want to get into smoking you don’t need to be afraid. Many people choose to inhale it through a vaporizer, eat food with marijuana inside of it, apply a more CBD-heavy strain to the skin in the form of a lotion, oil, spray, or cream, or take drops of it under the tongue.  

If you want to have a more medical-feeling experience, applying it to the skin feels no different from applying any other pain-relieving salve. Understanding the way you want to take marijuana for pain will help you determine the strain you wish to use.

Now that you understand the ways people use marijuana, it’s important to understand what sort of pain you have.

Understand Your Pain

Marijuana gets specific; that’s one of the greatest things about using marijuana for body aches. Depending on the type of pain you have, you can use a different strain specifically designed to help you. Once you’re familiar with which marijuana strains work best for you, sky is the limit. For maximum relief you can move forward pairing your treatment with a massage therapist, such as Pittsburgh Pain Relief Massage Therapy.

Nociceptive Pain

Nociceptive pain could be the easiest type of pain to understand. It’s pain that stems directly from a physical bodily condition. It can be caused by arthritis, injuries, surgeries, etc; it’s the type of pain you’d treat with anti-inflammatories.

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain refers to pain that stems from the nervous system. It can be caused by an injury, but it has to be specifically an injury that damaged a nerve. Neuropathic pain can be especially frustrating because it radiates, and anti-inflammatories usually do not work on it.

Central Pain

Central pain is the hardest pain to understand. It’s pain that shows up without a physical injury attached to it. This type of pain is difficult to have because many people do not understand it, and many treatments are ineffective.

Which strain is best for my type of pain?

Now that you know how medical marijuana works to act on pain and the different pains it can be used to treat, it’s time to figure out which strain is best for you. 

Best cannabis strains for pain relief: 

Harlequin

Harlequin is a wonderful place to start for anybody looking to relieve pain but isn’t familiar with cannabis effects. It’s a low THC, high CBD strain — which means you’ll feel relief without getting high. It’s a Sativa strain, which usually causes a heady feeling, but Harlequin’s effect is famously more anxiety-reducing than high-causing.

Harlequin, due to its diminutive psychological effects, is a wonderful daytime strain. The pain-relief effects activate quickly, so anyone who takes Harlequin can rest assured that they’ll have a safe, effective, medical experience.

The strain can treat patients with nociceptive and central pain. Patients suffering from physical ailments, like arthritic, benefit from the high CBD pain-relief effect,s and patients suffering from central pain benefit well from the combination of Sativa and CBD.

While its THC content is diminished, it’s still not recommended to operate a vehicle, heavy machinery, or work under the influence of Harlequin. It’s perfect for a relaxing, productive day where you want to see friends or family and enjoy your time without pain.

Blueberry

Blueberry is a strain both high in CBD and THC. If you want great-quality pain relief, but don’t mind a bit of a psychoactive effect, this is a great strain for you. Blueberry is a classic strand of marijuana, good for someone who wants something tried and true.

Blueberry is highly effective at treating nociceptive and central pain, but its high THC content means that it’s not the best cannabis strain for daytime use. The intense relaxation is perfect for someone who suffers from insomnia, or end-of-the-night tension. Tension relief and good sleep can lead to less pain, so this strain could be good for you long-term as a substitute for sleeping pills.

Since blueberry is a very “heady” strain, it’s been noted to have a great effect on people suffering from headaches. If you’re looking for something to help you sleep at night, blueberry is the strain for you.

Afghan Kush

Afghan Kush is another high CBD option that’s wonderful for someone looking to get a good night’s sleep. It has middling THC levels, so it’s a good option for a beginner.

Afghan Kush, a lot of the time, features full-spectrum CBD. This means that in addition to containing CBD, it also features other sorts of more minor cannabinoids, like CBG, CBC, and CBN. Strains that feature minor cannabinoids prominently can produce what is called the “entourage effect”, where each cannabinoid works with the others to create a pain-relieving effect that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

But perhaps the best thing about Afghan Kush is its specialization in treating neuropathic pain. If you’re a beginner with nerve pain who’s looking to unwind in the evening without completely cooking out, this could just be the strain for you.

ACDC

ACDC is one of the most popular pain-relieving marijuana strains on the market. While it does have levels of THC, its levels of CBD are considered some of the highest out there. If you’re suffering from pain that gets pretty intense, take a look at ACDC.

This is a great strain that produces a less psychoactive effect than some of the others on this list. It’s perhaps the most effective strain for nociceptive pain. Since it does contain some Sativa, and its contents are pretty potent, this strain is perfect for someone who’s out of work due to an injury and needs some help getting through the day.  

Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel is a high THC, low CBD strain. Its effects are often described as “cerebral” and “dreamy”, so someone who’s not looking for a high should stay away from this one. Its name comes from its extremely pungent, diesel-like smell.

However, it is high in Sativa, so it can give an energy boost, and it’s always in high demand. This strain is best for the experienced marijuana user who has found that high THC strains work best to help with their pain. It works best for central pain.

Get Someone in Your Corner

While the stigma around marijuana is quickly dying, it’s not completely gone yet. Many states still have complicated laws and requirements that will keep you from the relief you need. You may be tempted to give up the fight just because you don’t have the time to sift through all of the information.

Thankfully, there are specialists in this kind of thing. We can help you learn all you need to know about requirements and smooth the process involved in getting your marijuana ID card.

Find the Best Marijuana Strain for Chronic Pain

If you suffer from chronic pain, please remember you’re not alone. You DO NOT have to suffer. Thankfully in the 21st century, medical marijuana can be a great help in getting you the relief you need and deserve.

You understand how marijuana relieves chronic pain, how it’s taken, what sort of pain you have, and the advantages of Harlequin, Blueberry, Afghan Kush, ACDC, and Sour Diesel. You’re well on your way to finding your best marijuana strain for chronic pain.

If you’re ready to experience the benefits of marijuana for pain, please contact us today.