After a workout, your muscles get sore. You might not feel it immediately, and maybe not until two or three days later. But if you push yourself during a good workout, you are going to have sore muscles. Typical treatments for muscle pain include rest, ice packs, massages, and drugs.
Any drug you take could come with negative side effects. Prescription painkillers are far too common these days, and the risk of addiction makes them too risky to use for post-workout recovery. That leads many to reach for over-the-counter painkillers like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAID’s. The problem with this class of drugs is that while they can be effective for post-workout recovery, they are also more dangerous than most people realize, especially for older adults. According to one recent study, NSAID’s account for 41,000 hospitalizations and 3,300 deaths every year among older adults.
That’s why so many older Americans are looking for a natural alternative for muscle soreness, like CBD oil. Although CBD oil might interact with certain prescription medications, it is generally regarded as safe to add into a wellness routine that includes exercise.
What’s CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, the second most prevalent cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, second only to THC. Unlike marijuana, which has a high THC level and a low CBD level, with hemp it’s the other way around. Hemp contains a high CBD level with just a trace of THC not above 0.3 percent, which makes it legal under federal law.
Congress banned hemp in 1937, and then legalized it again with the 2018 Farm Bill, more than 80 years later. Since becoming legal again, there’s been an explosion of CBD products, and even products like delta 8 vapes in the states where THC products not above 0.3 percent strength are also permitted. It can take time to find a CBD brand you can trust.
Many CBD brands offer sub-standard products, and news reports indicate that too many CBD products are mislabeled or contaminated. To make matters more confusing, the FDA does not yet regulate CBD products.
Why Are You Sore After Workouts?
Why does doing something so good for your body make you feel so bad? Muscle soreness is usually a sign that you’re improving your fitness. That’s because a good workout causes you to use muscles in ways they aren’t typically used. As you stretch those muscles, you’re causing microscopic tears in the muscle fibers that need to heal. This healing process allows muscles to grow back stronger than before. And that’s great, but that healing process also hurts.
How Can CBD Help Alleviate Your Post-workout Pain?
While more research is needed, studies show that CBD can be an effective pain management tool. CBD works within the body’s endocannabinoid system, or ECS. The main function of the ECS appears to be to maintain homeostasis (or balance) in other systems throughout the body. In this way, CBD may aid the ECS in controlling inflammation and pain signalling, which could help a body that’s sore after a workout.
What Forms of CBD Are Most Effective for Post-workout Pain?
CBD comes in many forms. The most reliable for post-workout soreness and inflammation are ingestible CBD oils and topical CBD creams. But which is best for you?
Ingestible CBD: The difference between ingestible CBD products is generally a matter of taste. Most CBD oils have a grassy or flowery taste. People who dislike the natural flavor of CBD oil often choose CBD capsules. The CBD from capsules takes longer to get into your bloodstream because first it must go through your digestive system.
Topical CBD: Using a topically-applied CBD cream is another popular method to treat fitness-related pain with CBD. This is because a topical CBD product can be placed directly on the source of pain. Topical CBD products applied after a workout could potentially reduce pain and inflammation in affected muscles and joints.
So, Should I Try It?
When you decide to start CBD, make sure that you choose a high-quality product. One of the fantastic things about CBD is that, even taken at high doses, CBD use doesn’t lead to addiction or have any significant side effects.
Because there’s not yet FDA regulations for CBD products, the only way to ensure a CBD oil is free of contamination is by looking for the USDA organic seal. The USDA organic certification process ensures that a product bearing the USDA organic seal meets a very high standard. All USDA organic products come from pesticide-free farms, non-GMO seeds, sustainably rotated crops, and a manufacturing process free of any contamination. Because this is such a high standard to meet, there aren’t many CBD brands that can offer it. Bu one CBD brand whose products carry the USDA organic seal is Cornbread Hemp.
Cornbread Hemp makes their CBD products in small batches from hemp flowers grown on an organic farm in central Kentucky. They are USDA organic from farm to label and contain a legal amount of THC, but never above 0.3 percent. If you’re considering CBD products, talk to your doctor to make sure that CBD is OK for you, and then look for a USDA organic CBD oil like Cornbread Hemp.
