What
- Tendonitis or tendinitis is an irritation, pain, or discomfort of a tendon caused by its inflammation. The human body contains several tendons. A tendon is a thick cord that attaches a bone to its adjoining muscles – quite like ligaments that connect two muscles.
Where
- Tendonitis usually occurs in the elbows, ankles, shoulders, wrists, knees, and heels – anywhere bones are connected to muscles for voluntary movement.
Why
- Usually prevalent among athletes who play:
- Baseball, known as Pitcher’s shoulder
- Basketball,
- Bowling,
- Golf – Golfer’s elbow
- Running, known as Jumper’s knee
- Swimming, known as Swimmer’s shoulder
- Tennis, known as Tennis elbow
- Gymming, known as bicep tendonitis
- May also occur among aged people, as their tendons become weaker, more fragile, and lose their flexibility.
- It is also common among certain people, like factory workers, who need to work under stressful physical conditions that require:
- repetitive motions,
- sitting or standing in awkward or unnatural positions/postures,
- being under constant vibration,
- forceful physical exertion, or
- frequent overstretching of the body (or overreaching by the joints)
Does Tendonitis heal by itself?
Yes. With sufficient rest, tendonitis often heals on its own. However, any kind of movement would make it worse. A patient would need to give the affected area complete rest in order to recover.
While there are both natural and conventional treatment methods and medications to assist a person in recovery, recent research has revealed that tendonitis can be healed quite efficiently by employing alternative methods as well.
One such popular alternative is CBD oil. CBD oil can be used in different ways by patients suffering from tendonitis.
Let us find out, in more detail, how CBD oil can help Tendonitis patients overcome the pain and discomfort.
Using CBD to Treat Tendonitis – How to Use?
People suffering from chronic joint pain often turn to alternative methods of treatment to get relief. In this respect, CBD has been seen to offer relief to many across the world. Even some athletic associations have permitted its use among its members.
At a time when conventional medications, like pain killers, come with so many side effects, it is only natural that people will look for alternative, more natural methods that have fewer or milder side effects to manage regular pain, especially those whose profession makes them vulnerable to ailments and conditions, such as tendonitis (as mentioned earlier).
Usually, when it comes to joint or muscular pain, people find it easier and more effective to use topical medications [1, 2]. CBD oil is, fortunately, available in this form, besides tinctures, injections, edibles, capsules, etc. When it comes to topical application, one can choose salves, balms, ointments, creams, lotions, etc. depending on the condition.
For instance, there are CBD-infused skin creams and lotions for skin allergies, irritation, and inflammation. However, when it comes to pain in the tendons, balms are generally used. Most CBD brands incorporate many other natural ingredients in their products to make them more effective in relieving pain and discomfort and alleviating different conditions.
Moreover, depending on how and when people want to use CBD, people can opt to use this plant-based cannabinoid to trigger their endocannabinoid system and ease inflammation and pain [3].
If they want to use it before a physical exertion or right after, they can choose to use a topical, whereas if they want to use at the end of the day before bedtime, they can have it in the form of CBD-infused edibles or capsules too! However, topicals are better in two ways.
- They do not interact with medications, as the CBD does not enter the bloodstream to reach the targeted areas. Instead, a topical application ensures the substance enters the tissue over the affected areas (joints, etc.)
- Topical CBD does not lose its effectiveness and is far more prompt in its action than edibles. Reason: All edible CBD must go through the digestive system where it is metabolized by liver enzymes to reach the bloodstream, from where it is transported to the affected areas. Topical CBD completely bypasses this pathway.
Tinctures are another viable option. Most of it is absorbed through the sublingual glands into the bloodstream and does not lose its potency by going through the digestive system. Although this is also a prompt option, it is still a systemic method of administration, i.e. it reaches the bloodstream, from where it is transported all over the body, including the affected (painful) areas. This means that a portion of the dose is distributed elsewhere in the body, where it is not necessarily needed, thus reducing the potency of the substance to a certain extent.
However, is CBD use just a fad or is it really worth your money? Is it just an expensive placebo or is there any scientific basis for using CBD to treat tendonitis? How exactly does it help?
Let’s find out!
Using CBD to Treat Tendonitis – What does the Science Say?
Research on CBD and its effects on the human body is, admittedly, still in its nascent stage. However, most animal trials and the few human clinical trials that have been carried out by scientists around the world have shed light on its potential as a viable alternative treatment for chronic pain. [4]
Besides, it has also been seen that CBD is a safer option over other conventional medications, especially opioid-based pain medication. [5]
So much so, CBD has been found to be effective on dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. [6]
The reason why CBD is so effective on inflammation and pain is that it indirectly binds [7] with the cannabinoid receptors in the body, thus inhibiting the normal responses of the immune system – inflammation and pain – that may cause tendonitis to become such a serious condition.
Some more studies that prove CBD help fight inflammation and its resultant pain – issues that make tendonitis a condition to deal with in the first place.
- A 2011 study [8], published in Neuroscience Letters, revealed that CBD can reduce inflammatory pain in rats by influencing the way their pain receptors respond to stimuli.
- Another article, published in the European Journal of Neuroscience in 2014, [9] which reviewed all available research on CBD and animals found this phytocannabinoid to be an effective anecdote to treating osteoarthritis pain.
- Another study, published in the same journal in 2016, found that the topical application of CBD can relieve pain and inflammation caused by arthritis. [1]
- A 2017 study, published in the journal Pain, found evidence of CBD not only being a safe and useful treatment option for osteoarthritic joint pain, but also a potent inhibitor of nerve damage.
- Not only does CBD prevent nerve damage, but it also reduces nerve pain (or neuropathic pain), besides suppressing inflammatory reaction by targeting the α3 glycine receptors. This was revealed in a 2012 study [10] published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Our Takeaway
Tendonitis isn’t a very serious condition. However, if left unchecked and untreated for a long time, it may lead to more severe damage to the tendon, like its rupture, which may require surgery.
Over time, like several weeks, tendon irritation may lead to a condition, called tendinosis, which is a more severe form of tendonitis. This is a degenerative and irreversible condition that leads to abnormal growth and regeneration of blood vessels.
Using CBD is not only safe and effective but also convenient. CBD has the potential of enhancing the body’s capacity for dealing with pain, reducing inflammation, as well as allowing to sleep [11] better so that you can heal faster.
However, never overdo it. Too much use of CBD can reduce inflammation to a great extent, rendering your body’s immune system useless. This can incapacitate your body’s normal ability to inform you about an underlying problem. After all, inflammation is a necessary reaction of the immune system.
According to a study in the Frontiers in Pharmacology, cannabinoids’ anti-inflammatory effect may reduce inflammation too much. [12]
So, use discretion while using any cannabinoid, including CBD. Like we always say: Start low, go slow!
Oh, and definitely consult your doctor before using CBD for tendonitis.
Stay safe and enjoy life!
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Research Citations
- Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis; European Journal of Pain; October 30, 2015; DC Hammell, LP Zhang, F Ma, SM Abshire, SL McIlwrath, AL Stinchcomb, and KN Westlund; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851925/
- Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment; Molecules; September 27, 2018; Natascia Bruni, Carlo Della Pepa, Simonetta Oliaro-Bosso, Enrica Pessione, Daniela Gastaldi, and Franco Dosio; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6222489/
- Role of the Cannabinoid System in Pain Control and Therapeutic Implications for the Management of Acute and Chronic Pain Episodes; Current Neuropharmacology; July 2006; J Manzanares, MD Julian, and A Carrascosa; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430692/
- Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain; Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management; February 2008; Ethan B Russo; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/
- Cannabis as a Substitute for Opioid-Based Pain Medication: Patient Self-Report; Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research; June 1, 2017; Amanda Reiman, Mark Welty, and Perry Solomon; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569620/
- Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Clinical Efficacy of Cannabidiol Treatment in Osteoarthritic Dogs; Frontiers in Veterinary Science; July 23, 2018; Lauri-Jo Gamble, Jordyn M Boesch, Christopher W Frye, Wayne S Schwark, Sabine Mann, Lisa Wolfe, Holly Brown, Erin S Berthelsen, and Joseph J Wakshlag; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6065210/
- The endocannabinoid system in pain and inflammation: Its relevance to rheumatic disease; European Journal of Rheumatology; September 1, 2017; Nicola Barrie and Nicholas Manolios; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5685274/
- The abnormal cannabidiol analogue O-1602 reduces nociception in a rat model of acute arthritis via the putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55; Neuroscience Letters; June 13, 2011; Schuelert N, McDougall JJ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21683763
- Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in osteoarthritis pain; European Journal of Neurosciences; February 2014; La Porta C, Bura SA, Negrete R, Maldonado R; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24494687
- Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors; Journal of Experimental Medicine; June 4, 2012; Wei Xiong, Tanxing Cui, Kejun Cheng, Fei Yang, Shao-Rui Chen, Dan Willenbring, Yun Guan, Hui-Lin Pan, Ke Ren, Yan Xu, and Li Zhang; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371734/
- Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature; Current Psychiatry Report; April 2017; Babson KA, Sottile J, Morabito D; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28349316
- Impact of Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Endocannabinoids in the Lungs; Frontiers in Pharmacology; September 15, 2016; Caroline Turcotte, Marie-Renée Blanchet, Michel Laviolette, and Nicolas Flamand; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5023687/
