The Benefits Of CBD Oil For Athletes With Rheumatism
12 July 2023If you have rheumatism, it is essential to keep moving regularly, and CBD oil can help with that. Not only that, it can help improve the quality of life. CBD is a cannabinoid that has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and calming properties. In this blog, we delve deeper into the benefits of CBD oil for fibromyalgia and arthritis.
Fibromyalgia and arthritis: chronic pain
Both fibromyalgia and arthritis are conditions where you suffer from chronic pain. Despite this, you likely still want to be able to exercise and move. And that is excellent because staying active can help manage the symptoms.
What is fibromyalgia?
When you suffer from fibromyalgia, you experience pain in your muscles and connective tissue. Other symptoms often associated with it include mood swings, fatigue, stiffness, and sleep disorders. The striking thing, however, is that no abnormalities can be found in the blood or muscles. The cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown.
There is no cure for this condition. It is recommended to keep moving sufficiently and to take rest on time. You can use painkillers if you have a lot of pain, such as paracetamol and anti-inflammatories. Sometimes sleep and sedatives are also prescribed, as well as antidepressants.
Rheumatoid arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you suffer from inflammation in the joints. This is a chronic condition, but there may be periods when you have little or no inflammation. Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system attacks the body itself.
As a result, the body produces inflammatory proteins, causing inflammation in the joints and tendons. The underlying cause of arthritis is still unknown.
With this condition, you often get medications that slow down the immune system, which helps reduce inflammation. Painkillers are also prescribed.
The downside of this medication (both for arthritis and fibromyalgia) is that you always have to keep using them, and they come with quite a few side effects. These are often heavy painkillers, and people do not like to use them for a long time. CBD oil can be a good alternative for rheumatism. You can read more about this below.
How does CBD oil work for pain?
A large number of processes in the body are controlled by the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Examples include inflammatory processes, the immune system, and the processing of pain stimuli. CBD (cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid that can work with the ECS, thereby helping to restore the balance in the body.
The symptoms of arthritis, for example, are caused by an overactive immune system. With fibromyalgia, pain stimuli are not processed correctly. When you take CBD oil for rheumatism, this cannabinoid can instruct the cells to become more or less active. As a result, inflammatory responses can be inhibited, and it can act as a pain reliever.
This is also evident from various studies. In 2017, a review looked at the effectiveness of CBD for neuropathic pain. Neuropathy is caused by damage to the nerves. Eleven trials involving 1219 patients were examined.
CBD was found to cause a significant reduction in pain symptoms compared to placebo. There was also an improvement in the quality of life, and people were able to sleep better.
Using CBD oil for arthritis
CBD oil also has many benefits for athletes with arthritis. It is primarily the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of this cannabinoid that are effective here. In 2020, a questionnaire was sent around to 428 people with arthritis, which they could fill in themselves. They indicated whether CBD helped with their symptoms.
A large part of the patients, 83%, benefited from CBD. They had less pain, could function better, and 66% also slept better with CBD.
There is also animal research suggesting that CBD can help with arthritis. In 2016, rats with arthritis had a CBD gel rubbed on their joints for 4 days. There was a clear decrease in inflammation, and the little animals showed fewer signs of pain. Positively, there were also no unpleasant side effects.
The benefits of CBD oil for fibromyalgia
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you can also try CBD oil. This natural remedy can potentially relieve various fibromyalgia symptoms.
In the Netherlands, research has been done into cannabis for fibromyalgia. Twenty women participated in the study. Each participant received four types of cannabis during the study: a placebo variety (no CBD or THC), a type with high percentages of CBD and THC, a type with lots of CBD and little THC, or a variety with little CBD and a lot of THC.
Especially the product that contained a lot of CBD and THC provided a lot of relief in the pain symptoms. There was a decrease of 30% in the pain among 18 of the 20 participants.
CBD oil for rheumatism: enjoying sports again
If you have rheumatism, it may definitely be worth trying CBD oil. It can bring back the joy of sports. Keep in mind that it may take a while before you notice the effects. Often it takes some time for your body to respond to the active substances and also to find the right dosage.
Start with a low dose of, for example, three drops or half a CBD tablet per day. If you feel this is not sufficient after a few days, increase the dose by 1 or 2 drops per day. Use CBD oil for rheumatism daily for the best results.
