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.