How Can Runners Make Use of CBD To Reduce Joint Pain and Inflammation?

CBD is a popular analgesic herbal compound that can help reduce joint inflammations and pains. This blog discusses CBD, how runners take it for joint discomfort, and how it relieves joint pains and inflammations.

Running is good for muscle growth and body health. However, it can place your body under significant discomfort and stress. Long-distance runs may trigger muscle or joint pains and inflammations. There are various medical remedies to soothe the runner's condition, but most trigger high drug dependency. CBD is a non-addictive pain relief option that helps soothe the condition with unnoticeable side effects. Various CBD products are available in the medical market for runners. They include CBD creams, lotions, gummy bears, baked goods, CBD oil, vaping devices, and tinctures.

What Is CBD?

CBD is an abbreviation for Cannabidiol, a healthy natural compound existing in the cannabis sativa plant with other 100s of minor cannabinoids. It is mostly extracted from the hemp plant, which is highly concentrated in plant leaves and flowers. In 2018, the UK parliamentary chamber allowed the use of CBD-infused products for public consumption. However, the supplements should contain less than 0.2% THC derived from hemp strain. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most famous cannabinoid associated with highness and tension among cannabis smokers. Martin-Santos et al. (2012) explained that contrary to THC, CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid popular for promoting body health without inducing mind-altering effects.

Upon extraction, the compound is highly diluted with organic carrier oils like hemp seed oil, coconut oil, and olive oil to create a solvent that can be used in various products. CBD is readily available in the hemp market in the following forms:

• CBD edibles
• CBD oil
• CBD tinctures
• CBD topicals like cream
• CBD vape pens
• CBD tablets

How Runners Take CBD For Joint Pain And Inflammation

Body discomforts like joint pains require instant relief to avoid anxiety build-up. During extreme exercises by athletes, there is a lot of internal muscle tearing that can trigger excessive inflammatory responses by body cells. As a result, the runner may feel joint pains and muscle aches. CBD is highly associated with managing muscle and joint recovery after strenuous activities. However, how you take it will determine the relief period and the cannabinoid effectiveness. The following are 4 effective ways to take CBD for joint pains:

Sublingually

Taking CBD sublingually is the most common way to harness the calming effects of CBD. It involves placing a few drops of the oil under the tongue and holding it for at least 60 seconds. This allows the CBD compounds to diffuse through the soft tongue membranes directly into the bloodstream. It will take less than 8 minutes to feel the relief effects of CBD kick in.

CBD tinctures are the most common type of CBD supplements taken sublingually. They contain an alcohol solution that heightens the penetration of the cannabinoid through the numerous blood capillaries under the tongue. Tinctures contain a calibrated dropper for ease of dosing, but they are characterized by bitter hemp flavor.
Topically

Various skincare products infused with CBD oil; include creams, lotions, salves, bathing bombs, etc. They help relieve joint pains and inflammation and improve skin health and complexity. It involves rubbing CBD oil or topicals gently and deeply into the affected joint area. Stella et al. (2021) suggested that CBD will penetrate the inner skin layer,interacting with cannabinoid receptors to soothe body inflammations. It will take 15 to 45 minutes for runners to feel relieved, depending on the amount applied and the strength of CBD topical.

Vaping

Vaping CBD is the fastest and most discrete way to harness the therapeutic effects of CBD. It involves vaping devices like vape pens to vaporize CBD oil into a vapor inhaled directly into the bloodstream through the lung tissues. The gadget is small and does not produce smoke making vaping the best way for runners to treat joint pains in public training without drawing attention. It will take less than 4 minutes to feel CBD's calming effects.

Ingesting

Ingesting CBD is the slowest way to feel relief from body discomforts.The cannabinoid must pass through the digestive tract before being metabolized and absorbed into the bloodstream. Depending on the runner's body metabolic rate and CBD dosage, it can take 30 to 60 minutes to feel CBD effects manifest. Runners can ingest CBD in the following ways:

• Simply swallowing CBD oil
• Swallowing CBD tablets like capsules or softgels
• Eating CBD edibles like gummy bears
• Infusing CBD oil in the food recipes. Learn more about how does cbd help seizure patients

How CBD Works to Relieve Joint Pain and Inflammation

After taking CBD, the cannabinoid is metabolized and absorbed into the bloodstream,interacting with the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS). ECS is a complex body structure that consists of cannabinoid receptors and body cannabinoids like anandamide that are responsible for processing plant cannabinoids like CBD. the main function of ECS is to maintain body balance by eradicating body discomforts like pain, stress, inflammations, and anxiety. However, the system can be easily compromised due to health status, age, or environmental factors. Therefore, CBD reacts with the system receptors to restore normal functions. Unlike THC,which binds with cannabinoid receptors, CBD does not bind with the ECS receptors. According to McPartland et al. (2015), CBD increases the production of endocannabinoids that binds with cannabinoid receptors in the affected area to alter how the brain process pain and inflammation responses.

Runners are highly associated with extreme body activities that trigger excessive inflammatory responses by the body cells. As a result, there are exceeding numbers of pain impulses signaled into the runner's brain. According to Boyaji et al. (2020), CBD can interact with Cannabinoid receptors located in the joints and muscles to perform the following:

• Block the signaling of pain nerve impulses into the central nervous system making the athlete feel calm and relieved.
• Increase production of body antigens that are responsible for boosting internal body healing. Extreme exercises are characterized by internal tearing of muscle tissues that triggers inflammations. Cerino et al. (2021) proved that CBD contains organic nutrients like amino acids that boost the natural healing process.
• CBD reduces the release of the oxidative hormone cortisol,which increases intracellular inflammatory responses after long workouts. Cortisol is stressing hormone that triggers oxidative activities by muscle cells after extreme activities, causing body muscle irritations.

Conclusion

CBD products such as tinctures, edibles, vapes, and topicals are popular among athletes. They help boost body energy, muscle growth, and recovery without triggering adverse effects. The main use of CBD among runners is to reduce joint pains and inflammations after a long-distance run. The cannabinoid interacts with ECS receptors and endocannabinoids to block the signaling of pain impulses into the brain. It also reduces inflammatory responses by the joint and immune cells. There are four ways to use CBD for pain and inflammation management: sublingually placing CBD oil under the tongue, vaping CBD e-liquid, topically applying CBD skincare products, and ingesting CBD capsules or edibles.

Reference

Boyaji, S., Merkow, J., Elman, R. N. M., Kaye, A. D., Yong, R. J., &Urman, R. D. (2020). The role of Cannabidiol (CBD) in chronic pain management: an assessment of current evidence. Current pain and headache reports, 24(2), 1-6.

Martin-Santos, R., a Crippa, J., Batalla, A., Bhattacharyya, S., Atakan, Z., Borgwardt, S., ...& K McGuire, P. (2012). Acute effects of a single, oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) administration in healthy volunteers. Current pharmaceutical design, 18(32), 4966-4979.

McPartland, J. M., Duncan, M., Di Marzo, V., &Pertwee, R. G. (2015). Are Cannabidiol and Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabivarin negative modulators of the endocannabinoid system? A systematic review. British journal of pharmacology, 172(3), 737-753.