If you play tennis more than four times per week, there’s a 50% chance you will suffer from tennis elbow. The condition is so common that epidemiologists consider it single-handedly burdening the healthcare system.
While CBD may not immediately repair the tendons in your forearm, there is reason to believe it can make the injury shorter and more tolerable. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of tennis elbow, a condition all too common in athletics, and how CBD can remedy the nearly inevitable injury.
What is Tennis Elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is an inflammation of the elbow tendons. The injury affects 1-3% of the population at any given time and over 50% of tennis players. However, because tennis elbow is so common in the general population, actual tennis players only make up 5% of all cases, according to Boston Children’s Hospital.
What is Tennis Elbow Caused By?
Tennis elbow is usually caused by overuse of the muscles and tendons in the forearm. While the condition is common in tennis, pickleball, golf, hockey, and baseball/softball communities, it isn’t limited to athletes. Repetitive tasks such as writing, typing, operating tools, and even excessive smartphone or video game use can lead to tennis elbow.
Can CBD Cure Tennis Elbow?
Unfortunately, CBD alone can’t cure tennis elbow. We’d love it if CBD could repair muscle and tendon damage overnight; however, that’s not the case. However, CBD can be a significant addition to treatment and even speed up the recovery process.
A Holistic Approach to Tennis Elbow
Treating muscle and tendon damage requires multiple approaches. While CBD is believed to limit pain and inflammation, two critical components of the injury, we recommend a multifaceted approach.
Below are the most common methods for recovering from tennis elbow. Again, we recommend using a combination to mitigate risk.
Physical Therapy
Wrist, forearm, and elbow exercises are among the most popular and effective methods of treating tennis elbow. Consistent physical therapy (PT) work can strengthen muscles and tendons, heal the injury, and prevent damage in the future. But PT alone is a long and potentially painful road to recovery.
Ice
Cold treatment reduces pain and swelling by restricting blood flow and numbing the elbow. Icing is essential to treating tennis elbow and speeding up the healing process.
Elbow Brace
Doctors may prescribe counterforce braces to treat tennis elbow. These braces compress the affected area, removing pressure from the strained muscle.
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication
Taking acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen will reduce swelling and pain caused by tennis elbow. However, these drugs are harmful to your liver, and you want to limit use as much as possible. Doctors may even prescribe steroids, opiods, or nitro-dur for severe cases of tennis elbow. However, there are significant consequences to going this route. We recommend trying a natural approach to reducing swelling and pain from tennis elbow before taking over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
Natural Remedies
CBD and other natural pain relievers may be used as alternatives to Advil, Tylenol, and prescription drugs when treating tennis elbow. Because CBD is safe and has no significant side effects, you can use it more frequently. In addition, CBD is available in multiple administration methods, allowing you to treat tennis elbow internally and topically.
How CBD Can Reduce Inflammation and Improve Tennis Elbow Recovery
Recovering from tennis elbow can take weeks, sometimes even months. Amateur athletes know their days on the court are limited, and they don’t have time to step away from their favorite hobbies. That’s why CBD has become a game-changer for athletes of all levels.
Inflammation
Inflammation is at the heart of tennis elbow and other muscle or ligament injuries. Our body overreacts to repetitive or overuse movements, exacerbating the problem area. Thankfully, CBD helps regulate our endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex network of neurotransmitters and receptors that regulates inflammation.
Pain
Pain perception is another essential bodily function regulated by the ECS. While pain relief is difficult to prove in controlled studies, the mechanism for pain relief is there. According to the research paper, Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Action of Cannabidiol, CBD:
- “Inhibits through PPARγ receptor DNA transcription of proinflammatory mediators.”
- “Modifies membrane and organelle calcium channels, altering intracellular signaling.”
- “Exerts indirect effects on cannabidiol receptors and affects the uptake of adenosine and GABA, reinforcing their signaling.”
In addition to the mechanisms of pain relief, we’ve seen countless anecdotal accounts that point to CBD as a viable pain reliever.
Sleep
Recovery is dependent on sleep, which our ECS also regulates. Without rest, our bodies aren’t in a position to heal. Taking CBD before bed can help you fall asleep faster and experience a higher quality sleep.
Using CBD to Treat Tennis Elbow
Whether you are an avid racket athlete doomed to experience tennis elbow or feel tightening in your forearms due to playing virtual sports, CBD can help. To speed up the recovery process, we recommend ice, rest, physical therapy, and multiple forms of CBD.
Try our topical pain relief cream and roll on to target tennis elbow at the source, and CBD oil to boost endocannabinoid production in your ECS. If you have any questions, feel free to contact one of our CBD experts. We can help you with the right combination to get you back on the court!
