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CBD for Muscle Spasms: What You Need To Know
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CBD for Muscle Spasms: What You Need To Know

Easy to disregard as harmful twitches or a common occurrence, muscle spasms can cause immense discomfort and pain that affect your life. That's where cannabidiol (CBD) comes in. It regulates your nervous system and affects your body and mind's pain perception.

Read on to discover how you can utilize CBD to relieve muscle spasms.

What Causes Muscle Spasms?

Muscle spasms are involuntary muscle contractions and tightening that are both common and unpredictable. They can range from uncomfortable twitches to intense discomfort and pain.

While any muscle can experience spasms, the most common sites are the thighs, feet, calves, hands, arms, abdomen, and along your ribcage. The spasms in calves can often lead to severe cramps called "charley horses."

Common factors that can cause muscle spasms are:

  • Not enough stretching
  • Muscle fatigue
  • Exercising in the heat
  • Dehydration
  • Depletion of salts and electrolyte minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium
  • Involuntary nerve discharges
  • Restriction in the blood supply
  • Stress
  • Too much caffeine
  • Too much high-intensity exercise

According to one study, the reason behind painful muscle spasms is muscle ischemia. This condition leads to a drop in pH along with the release of pain-generating substances, such as bradykinin, ATP, and H+.

Current Studies on CBD Effectiveness for Muscle Spasms

How effective is CBD for muscle pain? While there is room for more research, studies hint at the effectiveness of CBD on muscle spasms.

A 2016 study on the efficiency of THC-CBD (THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol) in symptom management of sclerosis patients indicated a reduction of daily spasms. The article stated that the CBD spray not only alleviated symptoms but also improved the quality of life for patients. The THC-CBD was also shown to have a good safety profile and was generally well tolerated in a spray form.

An article published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment showed trends in the reduction of spasms and improved mobility in 50 patients who received cannabinoids.

Benefits of CBD for Chronic Muscle Spasms

CBD for muscle pain can relieve the pain and discomfort associated with spasms in the following ways.

1. Relaxes the Muscles

Muscle tightness is the precursor to spasms. That's where CBD comes in. CBD can relieve anxiety and promote quality sleep. With a healthy sleep schedule, the body's "stress hormones" levels drop, reducing muscular tension.

Stress can cause your muscles to tighten and become sore and stiff. The stress hormones can also cause your body to go into a state of " stress-response hyperstimulation." This makes your body tight and stiff, frequently resulting in spasms.

CBD creams exhibit muscle-relaxant properties that can also relieve spasms.

2. Combats Secondary Causes Like Poor Sleep and Anxiety

As mentioned above, lack of proper sleep and stress can result in spasms. A good night's sleep is a natural therapeutic remedy for your body. However, poor sleep quality can lead to an increase in inflammatory molecules and put you at risk of “nocturnal leg cramps.”

CBD improves your sleep quality by reducing pain and inflammation. Studies have shown CBD to have therapeutic effects on sleep-related medical conditions.

By relieving chronic pain, CBD products can also facilitate sound sleep. In fact, according to a 2020 study, more than 60% of CBD users took the products to deal with chronic pain.

While stress can cause spasms, the converse is also true. Frequent spasms can lead to anxiety. According to clinical studies, CBD works as an antidepressant and anxiolytic, boosting not just the serotonin levels in your body but also helping produce the "bliss molecule" anandamide.

3. Improves Muscle Recovery

Spasms can bring aches and pains with them. If muscles are overworked or stay in a single position for a long time, they can be vulnerable to spasms.

In these situations, CBD can be your best friend thanks to its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective pharmacological properties. Applying a CBD-infused muscle balm or body lotion can help in muscle recovery. It also reduces the production of cytokine, chemokine, and T-regulatory cells, substances that slow down muscle recovery.

To use CBD in recovery, try our extra strength, ultra-cooling topicals for short and long-term pain management.

4. Reduces Inflammation

Multiple studies have demonstrated CBD's anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective pharmacological properties. The compounds in CBD can also be therapeutic and help reduce oxidative stress. CBD can help your body achieve a stable condition called homeostasis by activating the endocannabinoid system that regulates bodily processes.

CBD can also help provide natural pain relief by producing endocannabinoids that activate cannabinoid receptors. It affects your perception of neuropathic pain and offers symptomatic relief.

While over-the-counter medication provides relief, it can also affect you adversely. These pain medications can induce side effects like nausea, drowsiness, and dizziness, while excessive use of these products can cause ulcers, gastrointestinal issues, and kidney and liver damage.

Meanwhile, CBD's potential side effects — dry mouth, reduced appetite, and fatigue — are mild and not universal. And unlike the compound THC present in marijuana, CBD doesn't alter a person's perception.

How Much CBD Should You Take for Muscle Cramps?

CBD isn't typically regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means there are no set guidelines regarding intake for specific symptoms. With laws limiting research on cannabis and cannabinoids, conducting the necessary clinical trials on dosing for ailments is challenging.

Still, the dosage is different from person to person. For example, your body weight can dictate the CBD dosage. The more you weigh, the larger dosage you would need for it to work effectively.

Start by learning about the various forms of CBD intake. High-quality CBD products include CBD oil for muscle pain, gummies, capsules, topical creams and lotions, oral sprays, and drinks.

It is also crucial to start low and track your intake. The oil drops, for example, come with a dropper to accurately measure the dose. It is commonly advised to start at .2 mg per pound and adjust from there. A topical product, on the other hand, can provide localized relief.

Best CBD Topicals & Gummies To Relieve Pain From Muscle Spasms

Whether you're using ointments for targeted relief or gummies for some flavor, CBD has you covered. However, getting your cannabis plant products from a trusted manufacturer is essential. At Muscle MX, we test our safe and effective products for quality and efficiency. Our products meet FDA guidelines for cGMP standards for dietary and food supplements.

Next time you're looking for relief from muscle spasms, choose Muscle MX. Our health products — like CBD cream for muscle pain and the best CBD oil for muscle spasms — can help relieve chronic spasms or cramps caused by an injury.

Check out our range of high-quality CBD products today.

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