Feeling intense chronic pain post-treatment or surgery? Dealing with an ache of some sorts that will not improve no matter how consistently you’ve been applying a topical or exercising to distract yourself from the discontent? A relatively novel drug CBD, chemically known as Cannabidiol, revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry to benefit countless physicians in the fields of psychiatry and surgery. But what even is CBD? What does it do? Where does it originate from? 

Well, part of the answer is that plentiful innovative research has already revealed many of CBD’s physiological advantages in the past decade and the drug has become marketed as an economic alternative. Additionally, compared to opioids (pain medications which, like endorphins, can derive from naturally occurring terpenes) that are all too commonly prescribed, the addictive power of cannabidiol is much less and might be an excellent choice to consider for implementation. It may be fruitful to evaluate whether CBD can be reliable long-term in its ability to alleviate painful conditions.

Before delving into the science, it is important to recognize that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CBD’s clinical usage in 2018. The isolated molecule of CBD provides a novel mechanism of action in the body. It does this with minimal side-effects. Upon FDA approval, utilization of CBD expanded from oral capsules to consumable fluids and even sublinguals oils. Sublingual oils are the most common effective and practical usage of CBD. It is important to select CBD oils that have gone through pharmaceutical and medical scrutiny. The reason for this is that products purchased in the web might contain impurities or worse agents that might cause harm. 

Figure A & B: Example Over-the-Counter (OTC) CBD capsule medication and pill appearance, respectively.                                 

We are pleased to announce the incorporation of CBD into our practice at Arlington Foot & Ankle. Please feel free to consult with expert podiatrist Dr. Ben Pearl on the topic of CBD usage as an alternative pain remedy. For consultation and purchase, contact our office at (703)-516-9408.  

Authors: Dr. Ben Pearl, DPM, Anthony W. Saad