Why use CBD cream for exercise? It seems to happen every year. New Year’s resolutions fallen by the wayside. Well, if you resolved to get in shape only to lose that resolve because of injury or pain, I have good news. 
Among athletes, CBD has become the go-to for sports recovery. Training for a sport takes a toll on athletes’ bodies, sometimes leading to lifelong pain. However, it’s not just professional athletes who experience pain and injury. Children and teens are not immune to the effects of playing or working hard at their sports. Topical applications can help speed recovery.
But here’s the best part. CBD topicals can help relieve muscle and joint pain for any reason. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a hardcore athlete, a weekend warrior or an armchair athlete, CBD creams and salves can soothe joint and muscle pain, arthritis pain or nerve pain.
What are CBD topicals?
Let’s start with the basics. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a nonpsychoactive compound derived from hemp. Blended with essential and carrier oils, it offers natural, but powerful, healing potential. CBD is a known anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a precursor to pain from overwork or injury. Topicals applied directly to localized areas of pain quickly absorb into the muscles to begin to soothe pain.
When you apply CBD to your skin, it penetrates deeply, stopping short of the blood stream. Deep in the tissue, it binds with CB receptors and works to alleviate pain from overuse or injury. How can it do that? Each of us is born with and endocannabinoid system (ECS) with CB receptors that help maintain homeostasis, or balance, in our bodies. When our ECS becomes compromised, introducing CBD can help restore balance. It’s a lot more complicated than that and you can learn more here.
CBD for exercise recovery
Andrew Kerklaan, D.C., founder of Kerklaan Therapeutics, believes CBD may be beneficial for recovery from a number of common exercise-induced conditions. “These will all trigger inflammatory responses, and therefore, CBD may have potential to help in the recovery process,” he says.
You may want to try CBD as you recover from the following:
- Achilles tendonitis
- Muscle spasm
- Minor sprain/strain
- Aches and pains from overuse
During a workout, or even doing strenuous work for a period of time, can break down muscle fibers – microtears – which leads your body to believe it’s been injured. It goes to work to try to remedy the situation, which shows up as soreness and pain. The discomfort can be temporary or longer term. For instance, overworked muscles experience acute discomfort that usually goes away in a day. Other times you may have done more than overwork the body and find you have discomfort for longer periods of time. Either way, that discomfort can get in the way of daily activities.
Enter CBD topicals. The beauty of topicals is that you only need to massage the cream or salve into the painful area. Relief is often experienced within 10 to 15 minutes.
CBD for exercise injury
With any workout or sport, you run the risk of injury. Even activities such as shoveling snow, painting a house, gardening, just about any activity can result in an injury. Some common injuries include:
- Dislocated/broken elbow
- Dislocated shoulder
- Knee injuries
- Spinal injuries, sciatica
- Broken bones
- Fractures
- Wounds
Each of these injuries requires a doctor’s care, obviously. But with each of them also comes inflammation. With inflammation comes pain. CBD topicals to the rescue again to treat severe pains, from arthritis, sprains, strains and even fractures. Once you’ve visited the doctor and have your treatment plan, consider CBD topical creams or salves to relieve pain naturally.
Apply directly to the affected area. Creams are lighter in consistency and skin absorbs the cream quickly. Salves may be a bit thicker and stiffer, so gently massage the product into the affected area, warming the skin, which will help with faster absorption.
Are CBD topicals safe?
In a word, yes. As already noted, if you find products with CBD blended with essential oils and carrier oils, you have a natural product that is free of chemicals and toxins. According to this article in the National Library of Medicine, An Update on Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol: A Review of Clinical Data and Relevant Animal Studies, “In general, the often-described favorable safety profile of CBD in humans was confirmed and extended by the reviewed research. The majority of studies were performed for treatment of epilepsy and psychotic disorders. Here, the most commonly reported side effects were tiredness, diarrhea, and changes of appetite/weight. In comparison with other drugs… CBD has a better side-effect profile.” So, when you use CBD topicals for exercise injury or recovery, you can use it frequently without fear of harmful side effects, which makes it easier to continue a form of treatment. Not many other medications can make that claim.
Lost Remedy deals strictly in topicals, and our products include health and beauty aids. With such an array of benefits, CBD might just the ticket for when you overdo or injure yourself with exercise or other activities. You’ll never know until you try it.