A charley horse is a cramp caused by an involuntary
muscle spasm of the muscle, and this can occur due to all kinds of factors:
- Can be triggered by a past injury.
- Can result from exercising in extreme cold
or heat. - Can be caused by inadequate blood flow
that results from sitting on the legs. - Can occur due to overuse of the muscles
during exercise or work.
Getting a charley horse can be extremely painful and its
effects last anywhere from a few minutes to several days. While the severity of the pain can be
different for everyone, it’s distressful enough to make most people require
immediate relief.
The contraction of the muscle causes a sudden feeling
of soreness and pain that can radiate or stay localized, and it may even cause
temporary immobilization. Charley horses
most often occur in the muscles of the leg, especially the calves, but can
happen anywhere in the body.
In fact, some people frequently get a charley horse in
their neck due to poor posture or stress that causes the neck muscles to
tighten involuntarily.
How is a Charley Horse Usually Treated?
In many cases, a charley horse goes away on its own
and does not require any additional medical treatment. In rare cases, however, a person does need to
seek the help of a doctor because the pain can become debilitatingly severe or
can last for days at a time. The good
news is that most people who develop this type of pain will find that it
subsides within an hour. Of course, if
you feel that your charley horse is severe, you should seek medical attention
as soon as you can.
Could CBD Help with a Charley Horse?
Some people find that cannabidiol (CBD)
is actually a great antidote for a charley horse, and this isn’t too surprising
considering how CBD works. CBD is the primary
compound of the hemp plant, which is a cannabinoid,
meaning that it binds to cannabinoid receptors located throughout the body to
regulate important processes.
Cannabinoid
receptors are found in the tissue of the muscles, and their job
is to balance the function of the muscles, which includes inflammation in the
tissue. Further, cannabinoid receptors
are found in the pain receptors of the nervous system that respond to pain
within the muscles.
Study
#1: CBD is an anti-inflammatory due to
its ability to regulate inflammation. By
now, many researchers have discovered that using CBD regularly can help manage
inflammation of all kinds.
Study
#2: Cannabidiol has been found to have
analgesic properties because of its role in the function of the pain receptors,
which means that it may not only reduce inflammation of the muscles but could
also lower our sensitivity to pain.
Many people also talk about the calming
properties of cannabidiol, and this could apply not just to
our emotional state but our muscles as well.
Applying CBD directly to the muscles could help them relax, which is
exactly what’s needed when we are experiencing a charley horse.
How to Use CBD for a Charley Horse
Here are some key tips in order to effectively use CBD
to treat this type of muscle pain.
Tip #1: Talk to Your Doctor
Of course, it is always advisable to talk to your
doctor before attempting to treat an issue at home, no matter what you plan on
using to achieve relief. Your doctor can
consider your medical history and current medications to decide how you should
use cannabidiol for this type of issue.
Note: If you’re taking
medications already for the pain, it is very important that you ask a doctor if
CBD is right to use, as this can interact with certain types of prescription
drugs.
Tip #2: Use a Topical
Numerous studies have shown that applying CBD directly
to an affected area can be useful as it targets the particular troublesome
tissue with a direct dose of cannabinoids.
This is why we urge you to try topicals for a charley horse. Again, applying CBD right to the tense
muscles can offer fast relief as topicals take only moments to absorb, while
offering effects for up to several hours at a time.
Many topical formulas do not only contain hemp but
additional active ingredients as well, including menthol and other plant-based
compounds that increase blood flow and reduce pain through analgesic
activity. These can help bring more
circulation to the painful area so that it can heal more quickly, while also
helping to numb the pain so that the sufferer can feel relief.
Tip #3: Use CBD Daily for Best Results
If you wish to not only treat a charley horse but also
avoid this type of injury from occurring in the first place, your best bet is
to keep the muscles as healthy as possible.
Besides maintaining a proper diet and exercising regularly, it’s also
helpful to take CBD internally on a daily basis, as a tincture, edible or other
delivery method that works with your needs.
This provides head-to-toe support by introducing consistent levels of
cannabinoids into the body that work systemically and holistically.
Tip #4: Consider a Full Spectrum Formula
Using a full spectrum formula may be particularly
helpful if you have a charley horse.
Full spectrum hemp products contain every compound found in hemp, and
each one may offer properties that can be useful to your issue, including both
cannabinoids and terpenes. Also, full
spectrum hemp promotes the entourage effect, which refers to the potential for
enhanced effectiveness that comes with absorbing all of hemp’s compounds into
the body together, at once.
If, for whatever reason, you are refraining from applying
or consuming even the trace, legal amount of THC in hemp, broad spectrum can be
a suitable replacement, as it is a THC-free form of hemp that contains every
other naturally occurring compound.
Tip #5: Choose a Higher Milligram Strength
Charley horse pain can be severe, so it is possible
that only a high-strength CBD product will actually do what you are hoping it
will. Most CBD topicals contain 500mg-1000mg
per ounce, so opt for at least 1000mg if you’re looking for relief. Remember, even extremely high strengths of
topicals do not have mind-altering effects of any kind, so don’t be afraid of
taking a particularly powerful concentration if you feel that it may offer
relief.
Tame Charley Horse Pain with the Help of CBD
Charley horse pain can ruin a perfectly good workout
session or evening spent at home. The
good news is that the pain is usually very temporary, and treatable as
well. If you want to try a natural
option on the market, after getting the okay from your doctor, try using a CBD
product, particularly in a topical form such as a healing
balm
or pain
relief roll-on, in order to combat this pain.
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