Does cannabis for muscle relaxation work? Aside from being known as a recreational drug, cannabis is also claimed to be able to manage certain conditions. The widely known plant is being investigated a lot for its potential health benefits that modern medicines cannot comply with.
However, the use of cannabis still contains risks, and they don’t have certain validation that they could alleviate specific pains. Nevertheless, the possibility of it being a treatment for a disease or a condition is what makes researchers eager to conduct studies for future medical breakthroughs.
Furthermore, cannabis is federally legalized in some states for medicinal uses. One theory from all other theories is the use of cannabis for muscle relaxation. If you are wondering how, let’s find out together.
What is Muscle Spasm?
Muscle spasm, also known as muscle cramp or charley horse, is the unpredictable burning contraction and tightening of your muscles. This can affect any muscle, and the intensity may range from mild twitching to severe and uncomfortable pain.
Preventing Muscle Spasm
Muscles are completely unpredictable and idiopathic. However, there are some things that you may do to lessen the occurence of muscle spasm. For instance, you can:
- Stretch regularly.
- Do not work out under the heat.
- Drink a lot of water from time to time.
- Do some flexibility exercises on a daily basis.
- Pick shoes that can fit you properly.
- Keep away from medications that may cause muscle spasms as a side effect.
- Keep your blankets loose and stretch your muscles before going to sleep.
Causes of Muscle Spasm
The following are factors that may cause muscle spasm:
- Stress
- Dehydration
- Muscle Fatigue
- Lack of stretching
- High-intensity exercise
- Blood supply restriction
- Reflexive nerve discharges
- Working out under the heat
- Inflammation
- Obesity
- Chronic pain
- Pinched nerve
- Hormone imbalance
- Serious medical conditions
- Nutrient deficiency
Most spasms only last for seconds, or a minute or two. However, there are muscle spasms that are too excruciating to handle. If you feel a terrible pain with your spasm, consult a doctor immediately to recommend some medications.
Medications for Spasm
There are two commonly known medications for muscle spasms: muscle relaxants and antispasmodic. Antispasmodics are used to alleviate symptoms, like tummy ache and cramp (spasm). However, taking antispasmodics can cause you drowsiness, nervousness, dizziness, orange or reddish urine and can lower your blood pressure, which you need to look after carefully.
Aside from medications prescribed by doctors and engineered by manufacturers, there is another alternative that some experts consider: cannabis for muscle relaxation. This is an alternative that still requires further research to prove its effectiveness. However, some claim that it can actually manage muscle spasm.
Nevertheless, cannabis for muscle spasms differs in various forms and how you apply them. Still, the use of cannabis has its downside. This includes hunger, memory issues, dry mouth, drowsiness, and psychoactive effects. Hence, you should opt to consult your doctor before taking any.
How Cannabis Treats Muscle Spasms
-
Lessens Spasticity
Spasticity is known as a severe muscle spasm. This causes the continuous shrinking of muscles, resulting in its tightness and stiffness. If neglected, spasticity can lead to further complications, like loss of sleep, muscle injury, and severe pain. Cannabinoids function together with these receptors to lessen the pain from spasm. However, this also causes drowsiness, allowing you to sleep.
-
Decreases Inflammation
If you have an injury, an inflammation cannot be avoided. This is what causes a spasm. However, cannabis is believed to possess a component that manages inflammation. It supposedly lessens the protein that causes inflammation and lets out anti-inflammatory proteins.
Cannabis for Muscle Relaxation
You can enjoy cannabis to manage your muscle spasm in different forms, like:
- Bath Soaks
This is probably one of the rare forms of cannabis. This does not differ from the regular bath soaks—the only difference is that it contains dozens of cannabinoids.
Far from topical cannabis that affects a certain area of your body, bath soaks influence all the muscles in your body to relax to muscle spasm. The power of a warm bath is unmatched when it comes to relaxation, what more with this bath soak and other minerals together? This enables your muscles to relax and your pain to soothe.
- Patches
Cannabis patches don’t have much difference than regular patches. It’s just that it contains either 100% of CBD, THC, or a mixture of the two chemical components.
If you need instant full-body relief, a patch can be the best resolution for you. Putting on a patch on a certain area distributes the medicine into your bloodstream directly. They mitigate the symptoms that cause you muscle spasm.
- Lotions, Balms, Creams
Lotions, balms or creams are examples of topical treatment that you apply directly on the desired area of your skin. Cannabis topicals, when applied to a specific area, affect the white blood cells by the interaction with the endocannabinoid system. These are easy to apply and set-in the skin swiftly, allowing you to have control of the amount of application.
Conclusion
Although there are various medicines available at the physical and online stores, some of these may not be adequate enough to soothe one’s pain. Other than that, prescribed medication can be costly based on when you should take it, especially if it is for maintenance. That is when cannabis comes into the picture.
Cannabis possesses components that cannot be found in any other and only found within the plant. If it is not through research, we won’t possibly know that cannabis can be a source of medication other than addiction. Just take cannabis for muscle relaxation, for instance. It is easier to apply and more convenient than our accustomed medication.
Muscle spasms can be excruciating to deal with. So, if you are planning to acquire cannabis topicals or alternatives to try and alleviate the pain of your muscle spasm, it is safe to first figure out if your state has federally legalized cannabis for medication. Make sure to consult a doctor first regarding using cannabis in managing any medical condition. Then, you can pay us a visit out our website for high quality cannabis products.