What Types of Sprains are Perfect for CBD Topical Use?

One of the most common injuries is a sprain, which affects millions of Americans each year. A sprain can be enormously painful, and always requires a lot of care while the area heals. While there are various proven treatment methods for managing a sprain, a lot of people are finding that using a CBD topical delivers some value when it comes to easing the symptoms.

What is a Sprain?

A sprain is the result of a stretch or tear in the ligaments, which connect bones in a joint. By far, the most common type of sprain is an ankle sprain, due to the vulnerable nature of the ankles, but a sprain can affect any joint, and the second most common type of sprain is a wrist sprain. It can result from overextension, twisting, improper bending or overexerting, and is particularly common among athletes, but can happen to anybody of any age. A very common reason for spraining one’s ankle is walking on an uneven surface.

What are the Symptoms of a Sprain?

Usually, a person will know that they have injured themselves as soon as the sprain occurs. Many feel or hear a pop, which indicates that a ligament has been torn. They will also likely feel pain immediately, and notice that they suddenly lose full mobility of the affected joint.

A sprain will almost always result in pain, swelling, and bruising, which results from the inflammation that occurs when a ligament is sprained. This can last for days or weeks depending on the severity of the sprain, in terms of how stretched the ligament is. While not all sprains involve a full, clean tear of the ligament, even stretching the ligament beyond its capacity can result in an extremely painful experience with lots of swelling.

Does a Sprain Require Treatment?

A mild sprain that does not involve severe tearing of the ligament can be treated at home. While the pain may make it difficult to use the joint, simply resting the area and applying ice may be able to bring down inflammation to a manageable level while the area repairs itself.

But, a more severe sprain will require treatment. The more severe the tear of the ligament, the most likely it is that you will need professional help while healing from a sprain. You should consider seeing a doctor as soon as possible if:

• You can no longer use the affected joint
• You can no longer bear weight on the affected joint
• You experience pain directly above the joint, in the bones
• You experience numbness near the affected area
• You experience debilitating pain
• You suspect that the injury is worse than just a sprain

How a Sprain is Typically Treated

The treatment that is required following a sprain depends largely on the severity. Like we said, minor sprains can be treated with ice, rest, and elevation, as the body can repair smaller stretches and tears of the ligaments on their own.

A more severe sprain may require surgery if a fracture has actually occurred at the affected area. And, if the pain is unbearable, prescription pain medications may be required. A more severe sprain may also require physical therapy once the joint is usable again, to strengthen and heal the surrounding tissue and prevent reinjury.

What Might CBD Be Able to Do For Certain Sprains?

Ultimately, when you experience an injury of any kind, you should strictly follow the advice of your doctor. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t simultaneously support the body while following our doctor’s advice during the healing process. One way in which many people support their bodies when dealing with a sprain is by using CBD.

We know that there are a lot of individuals out there who take cannabidiol for different forms of pain, as this cannabinoid works through the body to activate cannabinoid receptors in the muscles and joints that deal with inflammation, pain sensitivities, etc. But, as a sprain is localized, it may be most useful to opt for a CBD topical.

CBD topicals allow the compound to absorb in a transdermal manner, through the skin to quickly reach cannabinoid receptors in the muscles and joints that deal with pain and inflammation. This allows us to apply a CBD topical in order to experienced very localized and targeted effects, rather than allowing the cannabinoid to get dispersed widely throughout the body. CBD topicals are extremely popular among those dealing with more localized issues in the deep tissue.

What to Look for in a CBD Topical When Dealing with a Sprain

There are many different kinds of CBD topicals on the market, and because of that, you may feel intimidated by the selection, not knowing which is best suited for a sprain. To make things simpler, here are some key things to look for when choosing a formula:

• ØThe Right Milligram Strength: With a sprain, you’ll likely want to go for a topical that contains at least 100 milligrams of CBD per ounce, to offer the right potency level to provide the relief you’re looking for.
• ØA Fast-Absorbing Formula: Opt for a formula that’s fast-absorbing, which can come in the form of a cream, salve, lotion, balm or gel. These types of topicals can absorb through the skin within minutes to deliver effects quickly.
• ØThird-Party Testing: Only buy a topical from a company that has their hemp extracts tested by a third-party lab, which guarantees authenticity, quality and purity.
• ØEnhanced with Other Active Ingredients: Many topicals are enhanced with other naturally derived ingredients like menthol, camphor and arnica, which all have the ability to provide further desirable properties to the affected area to give you the relief you’re looking for.

How to Use CBD Topicals When Recovering from a Sprain

Now that you can see how CBD topicals give us the unique ability to address specific areas of the body by offering them the properties of the hemp plant, here are some quick tips to using that said topical solution properly.

Tip #1: Be Consistent

CBD is more effective when used consistently over time, because it works cumulatively. Therefore, try to use your topical twice each day to continue supplying the affected area’s cannabinoid receptors with proper cannabinoid levels.

Tip #2: Massage the Solution Thoroughly

Because the goal of a CBD topical is to provide the affected deep tissue with the cannabinoid, make sure that with each application, you thoroughly massage the formula into the skin until it fully absorbs. Otherwise, the formula will remain on the skin and evaporate before reaching the joints and muscles.

Tip #3: Continue Following Your Doctor’s Advice

This is perhaps the most important. Although CBD topicals cannot interfere with other medications or the CYP3A4 enzyme responsible for metabolizing half of those medications we take, and while they also can be enormously helpful, that does not mean that they should replace the treatment plan recommended by a medical professional.