Benefits Of Using CBD For Muscle Recovery
Cannabidiol (CBD) is everywhere these days. It’s a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. People use it due to its potential benefits. You can also use CBD for pain due to strenuous exercise without causing adverse and psychoactive effects.
Muscle soreness with aches and stiffness is quite common due to intense exercising. There are many home remedies and anti-inflammatory drugs that are useful to help with muscle recovery, but CBD is gaining attention among professional athletes specifically due to its anti-inflammatory effect. You can use CBD in many different forms: sublingually, ingestion, vaping or smoking, or topically. This article will tell us more about the best way to take CBD and its beneficial effects for muscle recovery.
Can CBD be absorbed through the skin?
Yes. CBD oil can be applied directly to certain areas of the body as an effective means of pain relief as well as reducing inflammation and soreness. However, the technique is different from other forms. When you apply CBD to the skin, it does not enter the bloodstream but connects with cannabinoid receptors through the skin pores. These cannabinoid receptors participate in functions related to pain, epidermal homeostasis, itch perception, and the promotion and suppression of dermatitis.
Although CBD oils and tinctures provide the fastest-acting relief, they have a bitter taste that may not be liked by everyone. That is why many people like to use CBD topicals instead of CBD oils and tinctures because they don’t have to be taken orally. CBD topicals can also be used in specific areas with pain. While CBD oils and tinctures can be messy to handle when outside, CBD topicals such as creams and lotions are easily accessible and can be used anywhere.
We have different CBD products on CBD Shopy if you want to try using CBD topicals. These are:
- CBD Muscle Rub (1000mg): a deep penetrating muscle rub made from natural skincare extracts and added CBD
- Cannabidiol CBD Rescue Cream (500mg): a CBD cream made of the plant’s natural waxes and fatty acids that help to hydrate and moisturize the skin as well as target the areas where it is most needed
- Love CBD Balm (1000mg): a balm made with full-spectrum hemp extract that contains CBD as well as all the plant’s compounds. It can be applied anywhere on the skin as much as needed
May relieve pain
Due to CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, it is known to help reduce muscular and joint pain. It can also be used to relieve arthritis, neuropathic pain, and inflammatory pain. Here’s how CBD can help manage pain.
CBD and Muscle Pain
Muscle pain is commonly caused by tension, stress, overuse, and minor injuries like exercise-induced muscle damage. This type of pain is usually localized and may affect a few muscles or a small part of your body.
CBD is known to offer temporary relief from pain and soreness. When CBD is applied topically, it activates the endocannabinoid system (ECS) through the cannabinoid receptors. The ECS is a cell signalling network that helps regulate several functions in the human body. CBD binds to the cannabinoid receptors in the epidermal and derma skin and results in the alleviation of pain and inflammation.
CBD and Arthritis Pain
Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. It comes with joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsens with age. Causes of arthritis include overuse, age, autoimmune disorders, muscle weakness, and injuries, among other things.
CBD is thought to work in the central nervous system by interacting with its CB1 receptors. It then sends pain signals to the brain when it detects certain stimulation or damage to nerves and cells. Due to CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, CBD can calm that response and is one reason why it is an effective remedy for people with arthritis and other related health conditions.
CBD and Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is caused by an injury or damage to the nerves that transfer information between the brain and spinal cord from the skin, muscles, and other parts of the body. Neuropathic pain is different from nociceptive pain. Nociceptive pain typically occurs with tissue damage, whereas neuropathic pain results from lesions or disease in the somatosensory nervous system. The pain is usually described as a burning sensation and the affective parts feel sensitive to the touch.
CBD is said to help with neuropathic pain by reducing inflammation in the brain. CBD may also reduce how many immune cells build up in the spinal column, which can reduce inflammation and pain as well.
CBD and Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s natural way of repairing itself. This healing process can sometimes influence muscle function or soreness. It can also be caused by arthritis or other conditions. When you have inflammation, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response in order to defend your body from invading microorganisms or harmful stimuli. One type of inflammation is called chronic inflammation, and it is when the body continues to send inflammatory cells even when there is no outside threat or danger.
CBD is known to reduce inflammation due to arthritis and ease joint pain. Some clinical studies have suggested that CBD may indirectly improve the anti-inflammatory effects in the body as it can reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibits T cell proliferation, induces T cell apoptosis, and reduces migration and adhesion of immune cells.
Muscle Recovery
The muscle’s recovery process typically includes getting a lot of rest, rehydration, regeneration or repair, resynthesis, reduction of inflammation through nutrition, and restoration, which will ultimately return the body to homeostasis. Getting a massage also decreases muscle soreness, improves circulation, and creates an enhanced perception of recovery.
Due to CBD’s anti-inflammatory, CBD can relieve soreness and muscle aches caused by fitness routines. Some research also suggests that CBD may potentially affect the parts of the ECS that may impact your immune response. This allows people to recover faster from intense workouts with less pain throughout the body and prevent damage to surrounding healthy muscles. CBD also has sedative effects and supports poor sleep quality which aids muscle fibre generation.
Do CBD topicals show up in a drug test?
No. CBD topicals won’t show up in a drug test because your skin acts as a barrier. Drug tests typically look for the compound THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) in drug tests as it is the main ingredient from the cannabis plant that provides psychoactive effects.
There are three types of CBD: full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolate. Full-spectrum CBD contains all the compounds from the plant and 0.2% THC. However, this is not enough to make you high. Broad-spectrum CBD contains all the compounds from the hemp plant except THC. CBD isolate does not contain any other compound except for CBD. The best CBD oil for inflammation is one that contains full-spectrum or broad-spectrum extracts.
Always check the labelling of your CBD products to know if they’re going to be detected by drug tests. Make sure that the products you’re going to buy are third-party lab tested to see if it meets the standards of the company, and to ensure that what is on the label is actually on the product. In other words, using CBD products will not be detected by drug tests as long as they contain the legal amount of THC which is 0.2%.
The Takeaway
CBD has become very popular in recent years due to its potential health benefits and therapeutic effects without causing any psychoactive and negative side effects. It has also become popular among elite athletes as it was said that CBD may exert several physiological, biochemical, and psychological effects that have the potential to benefit them. It’s a good alternative to pain medications if you want to go a more natural route. CBD balms specifically may help alleviate muscle soreness and joint inflammation. While CBD has been proven to help reduce pain and inflammation, more research, clinical trials, and human studies are needed to know its full beneficial effects.
