According to surveys done by CBD users in which pain management was cited as a primary reason for using cannabis products that are not intoxicating, it is still the leading reason . It makes perfect sense that most brands, especially those that target athletes offer topical solutions to treat achy and itchy areas. These topical creams, creams lotions, rolls-ons sprays, creams, creams, creams, creams, patches and roll-ons represent a new approach in sports medicine. Or are they just a throwback in time to Bengay’s locker-room scents?
It is important to first determine whether any topical anti-inflammatory products do anything. You can buy both prescription medicines and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory topicals (e.g., ibuprofen or diclofenac) as overthe-counter and prescribed medications. There’s strong evidence that this broad class of products works as per the FDA approval. As with anti-inflammatories administered orally, the goal here is to reduce inflammation and swelling. By directly applying antiinflammatories to the affected area, the product’s effectiveness is theoretically increased.
There’s also support in applying topicals to “loosen things,” even though it seems absurd. A Canadian paper published last year concluded that students’ hip range of movement increased more when they were rubbed on the (non CBD) menthol Gel Biofreeze than when they were treated with a placebo. The topicals should penetrate through the outer skin layer to produce this effect. Canadian researchers found that topicals could be applied only to one leg. However, both hips showed increased range of motion, suggesting a system-wide effect.
If we want to ask whether topicals do anything, it all depends on what we mean. The products are often scented (lavender and mint are common), and can create a distraction that is enough to alter the woe-isme narrative. This phenomenon is similar positive Self-Talk Shifting your Attention During a Race or Hard Workout. You’re not actually changing anything physiologically but you aren’t as constrained by your deprivation.
Placebo Isn’t a Four-Letter Word
You may be thinking, It’s all just the placebo effect. You may be right, but that isn’t as bad as you think.
Placebos should be believed, not deceived. Plenty of evidence suggests that physiological changes could occur if the individual receiving the treatment believes it can help. spitting in water with a sports drinks is an example of this. This is a dangerous practice. Your brain may think that sugar is in the air, so it won’t work. Take the example of the many athletes who achieve a performance breakthrough quickly after joining a team or hiring a coach. Barring doping, these athletes are unlikely not to be physically different from the two weeks prior, but their belief in the new setup is what drives them.
CBD?
CBD topicals’ effectiveness is being attributed to the placebo phenomenon. Because they can be twice the cost of traditional topicals, you might believe they work.
However, evidence of effectiveness can be found regardless of beliefs. A University of Kentucky Study inducing arthritis simulations in rats. The CBD was applied topically to the site of inflammation in half of the rats. This treatment lasted for four consecutive days. CBD treatment made the rats less painful than the others. The CBD-treated animals were able to withdraw their paws as much as before they were hurt. CBD rats had significantly decreased inflammation. The CBD rats had significantly reduced joint swelling, as well as immune-cell activity in injured areas. This animal study comes with the usual caveats. However, the placebo effect is unlikely to be present in rats.
CBD topicals have a tendency to be highly effective. They bind with cannabinoid regulators when they penetrate the outer skin layer. These receptors could be thought of like locks on the cells that cause cellular changes when they aren’t locked. Cannabinoids are the key to this metaphor. They can be either the body’s own hormones (which can play a role in exercise euphoria ), as well as an external source, such a CBD topical.
What happens in the body after unlocking is up for debate in medical circles. It seems reasonable to assume that lower pain could result from activating cannabinoid nerves, which are also responsible for the runners’ high. There’s also a theory for CBD lowering the inflammation by blocking the same enzymes as popular non-narcotic pain drugs like naproxen.
For the moment, Experiments of One
CBD topicals seem to be the best for managing flare-ups and chronic low grade problems that endurance athletes face. A slanted road can lead to an increased iliotibial strain. Check. You might feel stiff from too many hours spent riding an indoor trainer. Check. Torn ACL, ruptured Achilles? Not so check.
It is unlikely that there will be any clinical evidence to support these claims anytime soon. Most of the existing research on CBD focuses primarily upon specific disease conditions such as Parkinson’s and the number of epileptic seizure episodes someone experiences each day. It isn’t the priority of public health to research CBD balms on whether they ease the rusty coil sensation in your left-hamstring insertion. Because of two factors, it is unlikely that industry-funded research regarding such usage will be done. A high-quality clinical trial may cost many millions. This is well beyond the budget for most CBD companies. Even though brands may have the resources to pay for such a trial if they do not have the incentive, Also, the CBD molecule cannot be patented because it is a natural compound that is already in the public domain. All CBD brands could benefit from any positive findings of the study and use them in their marketing.
You shouldn’t view CBD topicals, like all things athletic as a magical cure-all. Pain should not be ignored, but heeded. The goal isn’t to be like Jim, a CBD-user who eats too much ibuprofen to sustain his 37-year-old streak. Sound and recovery principles help to prevent aches & pains from happening in the first place. Perhaps you’re experiencing pain in one of your body parts, no matter how hard you try, and it is time to get a topical.