While golf is considered a leisure sport that we can play well into our twilight years, most people don’t understand the toll swinging puts on our bodies. The average golfer takes 200-300 swings per 18-hole round. Due to the excessive repetitive movements and high torque weight transfer, many golfers experience injuries that can linger and keep them off the course. However, CBD can help limit the root causes and side effects of common golf injuries, allowing us to play more rounds.  

Common Golf Injuries

Golf is considered a low-impact sport, but it puts a great deal of strain on the back, shoulders, and elbows. Below are the most common golf injuries affecting golfers at all levels. 

Lower Back Pain

Sprains and strains are the most common back injury in golfers; however, some more severe conditions include disc hernias and facet arthritis. On the serious end of the spectrum, you could be out for the entire summer, but even a minor strain will prevent you from hitting the links for at least a couple of weeks. 

Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

Due to golf's repetitive nature, many players experience tendonitis in their shoulders. A golf swing can generate between 80 and 126 foot-pounds of torque, creating the perfect conditions for increased inflammation. 

Golfer's Elbow

Also known as tennis elbow, golfers' elbow is caused by repetitive gripping movements such as swinging a golf club, tennis racket, or pickleball paddle. The injury causes pain from the elbow to the wrist, keeping golfers off the course for weeks. 

Trochanteric Bursitis

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) or trochanteric bursitis is another common golf injury. This condition causes inflammation in the bursa, a fluid-filled sac in the hip. GTPS can lead to poor sleep, immobility, and severe pain in the hip, butt, and thighs. 

Treating Golf Injuries with CBD

As you can see, the most common golf injuries are caused by repetitive motions and lead to pain and inflammation. CBD isn’t going to prevent or heal any of these injuries overnight, but when combined with ice, rest, and physical therapy, CBD can be an absolute game changer!

Benefits of CBD

CBD’s potential benefits appeal directly to conditions facing every golfer. Below, we discuss the science-backed evidence supporting using CBD to reduce the causes and effects of common low-impact sports injuries. 

Reducing Inflammation

Inflammation is at the center of most golf and racket injuries. Our bodies overreact to stress, strains, or sprains and exacerbate the issue. Thankfully, CBD helps regulate inflammation through the endocannabinoid system. 

According to a popular meta-analysis of CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, CBD modulates the “mammalian transient receptor potential (TRP) channels” and  “activates vanilloid receptors (TRPV), directly or indirectly, by increasing the level of endogenous AEA (anandamide), which is one of the endogenous TRPV1 agonists.” In lamen terms, CBD interacts with receptors that produce a chemical AEA, which has been shown to lower the inflammatory response. 

Improved Mobility

CBD’s ability to improve motion and mobility is still primarily anecdotal. We’ve heard countless testimonials stating regular CBD use allows users to become progressively more active. Whether this is due to lowering inflammation, reducing pain, or leading to better sleep is yet to be determined. 

However, we have some solid research on CBD improving mobility in MS patients. The scientists believe that due to its wide range of benefits (they cite improving fatigue, inflammation, pain, depression, and spasticity), CBD supplementation leads to increased mobility. 

Pain Reduction

Like inflammation, the ECS is also responsible for regulating pain. Increased levels of AEA can help regulate pain and soften pain perception. As a novice golfer, you are likely unwilling to fight back pain to get through a round, so any type of pain reduction goes a long way. 

Better Sleep

Many athletes, especially amateurs, forget about the importance of sleep in recovery. Proper sleep improves the immune system, speeding up recovery from injury, illness, or stress by allowing the body time to repair itself on the cellular level. 

CBD is believed to improve sleep quality and help resolve factors that prevent sleep. For example, if tendonitis is preventing you from falling asleep, CBD may be able to reduce the inflammatory response and regulate pain realization to help you forget about the pain and give your body time to heal.  

Using CBD for Golf Injuries

CBD should be used complementary to other steps recommended by a doctor to help improve recovery from golf injuries. For example, while CBD may help reduce inflammation and pain, we still highly recommend ice and exercises targeting the problem area.