Pain in sports can be unavoidable, but it doesn’t need to be catastrophic for an athlete’s career. Finding effective remedies that don’t involve dangerous narcotics will ensure a quicker recovery process.
Athletes often mistake acknowledging pain as weakness, but it’s essential that they listen to their body and seek medical assistance – non-pharmaceutical treatments like acupuncture and massage therapy have proven highly successful at alleviating symptoms while helping prevent further injuries.
1. CBD & THC Edibles
As CBD becomes more prevalent in sports and athletic governing bodies relax their anti-doping policies, its use as pain management aid among athletes has become more frequent. Yet much remains to learn about how THC and CBD interact with the body and mind to produce physiological effects, and whether such interactions have positive or negative consequences for sport performance and recovery.
Athletes are increasingly turning to edible cannabis products as an easy and more reliable way of accessing its therapeutic effects, with preliminary research suggesting oral consumption offers more sustained and less intoxicating effects than smoking (Huestis 2007).
However, the quality and consistency of marijuana edibles vary considerably between products. A study conducted in Colorado demonstrated that actual D9-THC content often differed from what was listed on labels; this indicates that edibles do not undergo rigorous quality controls as pharmaceutical products do while medical marijuana regulations vary state by state.
2. CBD & THC Gummies
An intense workout often causes inflammation; however, too much inflammation can prevent you from reaping all the rewards of your training sessions. CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system to lower levels of inflammation response and pain sensation in your body and alleviate stress-induced discomfort.
Gummies are fruit-shaped edibles designed to mask unwanted flavors while providing high concentrations of CBD or THC, or both. There is a wide variety of tastes, textures, and potencies available; often used to directly deliver cannabinoids directly into the bloodstream without going through digestive tract.
THC and CBD gummies may help relieve stress, anxiety and depression – three major contributors to insomnia and restlessness – while decreasing pain and the tension that often prevents sleeping well. They’re ideal if you want to experience THC without getting too high or risk failing a drug test; the 5:1 ratio of THC to other cannabinoids and terpenes means you won’t experience psychoactive high; instead you will feel more relaxed and sleep better!
3. CBD & THC Capsules
CBD and THC products that can be taken orally to help with pain management include pills, capsules and gummies – as well as topicals like Papa & Barkley’s CBD balm that penetrates skin directly for targeted relief from pain and inflammation. Athletes who fear drug testing often use topicals because their cannabinoids penetrate deep within to interact with our endocannabinoid system directly, providing very targeted pain relief that may pass drug testing more easily.
CBD does not produce psychotropic effects like THC does (Baranowska-Kuczko et al. 2020). Instead, CBD has been shown to acutely stimulate parasympathetic nervous system activation which leads to reduced heart rate, lower systolic blood pressure, and greater vasodilation.
CBD has also been found to aid recovery and sleep by decreasing anxiety and drowsiness; additionally it may assist with muscle soreness relief. Many athletes use cannabis for its restorative properties during training to enhance performance; however not all sports governing bodies support its use – this applies especially for professional sports organizations.
4. CBD & THC Gel Caps
Professional athletes in sports ranging from football to long-distance running have increasingly turned to cannabis as a form of post-game pain management, with anecdotal reports touting its purported benefits being prevalent; yet empirical data remains scant. Now, a clinical trial conducted at University of Colorado Boulder hopes to fill that void; they’re testing whether using marijuana strains rich in THC (9-delta tetrahydrocannabinol or psychoactive component of cannabis) and CBD (cannabidiol; second most prevalent active ingredient but nonpsychoactive) alone or combined reduce post-competition pain due soft tissue injury over placebo treatments in athletes compared to placebo treatments in athletes post competition compared to placebos.
The results of the study will be assessed using self-reported pain levels, blood tests and MRI scans. Participants in this research will either vaporize 4 percent THC, 12 percent CBD or both or placebo at regular intervals over 48 hours using their mobile phone app to report pain levels at regular intervals via regular phone apps and have regular blood tests and MRI scans done that measure markers of muscle damage, inflammation and stress hormone production; all funded by the NFL who has strict regulations about what types of substances its players can take.
5. CBD & THC Oil
As an athlete, you are subject to higher levels of physical stress which may lead to pain and inflammation that exceeds what your endocannabinoid system (ECS) can manage. When this occurs, CBD can assist the ECS by stabilizing neurotransmitters by blocking chemical releases which exacerbate pain.
CBD’s benefits are well documented both anecdotally and scientifically, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and neuroprotective properties. Athletes and coaches alike find its promise of pain relief without the risks associated with NSAIDs and opioids attractive, especially considering the global epidemic of opioid overdose deaths that has claimed thousands of American lives every year.
Before making any recommendations for cannabinoid products, athletes and sports teams should seek guidance from a pharmacist familiar with the legal status of CBD in their country or state. Pharmacists can help select an ideal CBD product based on each athlete’s ECS profile as well as provide guidance regarding appropriate doses based on personal tolerance levels and ECS profiles.
Final Words
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. If you’re interested in learning more about CBD products, please visit our website at https://www.devineboston.com/ where you can explore our wide range of offerings at our CBD store. We look forward to providing you with further insights and assistance on all things related to CBD.
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