CBD: Muscle Pain and Recovery
Phew! You did it! You just completed one of the most intense workouts, pushing yourself to your limits, and feeling powerful and rejuvenated in the process. You feel great, but you know you will be feeling the aftermath of that tough workout tomorrow. Your muscles are already starting to tighten as you work through your cool down, and you reach for your bottle of over-the-counter ibuprofen to try to prevent the pain you know always follows a workout.
We’re getting older, and although it feels awesome staying in shape and being active, our muscles don’t always bounce back the way they used to. Working out causes tiny tears in the muscles, which in turn causes inflammation as the muscle repairs itself, hence the muscle pain and stiffness that you’re already anticipating.
You look over, and see your workout buddy reaching for something as well, but it’s not a bottle of pain killers. No, instead, they bring out a tincture, put a few drops of it under their tongue, and then reach for a salve and begin rubbing it on to their sore muscles.
You’re intrigued. Your bottle of ibuprofen is left untouched as you wander over to see what they’re doing to treat their muscle fatigue and pain. It’s CBD oil and a salve infused with CBD oil! It might be hard to believe, but CBD is an effective treatment even for athletes.
CBD oil is one of the biggest “buzz words” on the market these days, as it is being recognized for its wide variety of uses. From treating anxiety and insomnia to helping cancer patients combat their nausea and epileptic sufferers manage their seizures, CBD oil is quite remarkable in what it is able to treat. Due to its ability to reduce inflammation, CBD oil is also an excellent alternative to using an over-the-counter NSAID (Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drug), as it is natural, non-toxic, non-addictive, and without any side effects.
While CBD oil is still lacking significant scientific proof of its capabilities in the medical industry, there are countless anecdotal reports of people having significant success with CBD oil, including athletes and trainers who have incorporated CBD oil into their workout regime to help combat the inflammation that occurs after a workout. In a 2018 review of 132 original studies, published by Frontiers in Neurology, scientists found that CBD did in fact reduce inflammation and helped to improve pain and mobility in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Michael Fredericson is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Centre, who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has an extensive background in diagnosing, preventing, and treating athletic injuries. As he explains, “CBD is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It lowers inflammatory cytokines and raises anti-inflammatory cytokines. It can even replace or synergize with NSAIDs, reducing the amount you need to get the same effect. And it can do all this without causing an ulcer or long-term kidney damage. In person’s with more severe pain, it may also reduce reliance on opioids for pain control.”
CBD is a much safer alternative to pain killers, and it does not come with any of the side effects or addictive properties that most other pain killers come with. There are many different ways to ingest CBD, so you can find a treatment that works best for you. When using a tincture, it may take some time to determine the correct dosage for you and your post-workout body. Some say that you should try between 1-5mg per 10 pounds of body weight, depending on your pain levels. Others say that you could start with 5-10mg per day, and increase by 5-10mg per day until you get relief from your pain. The good news, is that even at high doses of 1,500mg per day (which you most likely will not need), CBD oil is well tolerated by the body. So, try with a low dose, and keep working with it until you find relief.
Another way to combat muscle pain after a workout would be to use some of our Verima Pain Relief Salve directly on your sore muscles. Rub this salve, with its soothing sandalwood scent, on to your sore muscles and enjoy the feeling of your pain melting away. Whichever way you choose to incorporate CBD oil into your workout regime, you are sure to notice an improvement in your post-workout pain, allowing you to continue your active lifestyle and leave the pain in the dust!
Sources:
Considering CBD For Muscle Recovery? Here’s What You Need To Know: https://www.menshealth.com/health/a26467604/cbd-for-inflammation-muscle-recovery/
Cannabidiol to Improve Mobility in People with Multiple Sclerosis: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2018.00183/full
Pros and Cons for CBD Oil in Muscle Recovery: https://cliniciantoday.com/pros-and-cons-for-cbd-oil-in-muscle-recovery/
The Truth About the Use of CBD For Recovery: https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/truth-use-cbd-recover
