CBD for Tendonitis – Does It Work?

Updated June 2021

You may be wondering if CBD for tendonitis is a good treatment option. You’ve likely heard of the many benefits of CBD (cannabidiol) over the past couple of years as more and more research has been done on its effects. CBD has shown to help manage anxiety, promote better sleep, and even reduce pain. But can its pain-relieving benefits also apply to tendonitis? 

If you’ve ever suffered from tendonitis, you know that the pain can be unbearable. While certain prescription medications and topical treatments can provide relief, you may be interested in trying out a more natural remedy in order to deal with the pain. 

That’s where CBD comes in. 

Thanks to its plethora of health benefits, and its ability to reduce inflammation in the body, CBD oil for tendonitis may be a great option. Keep reading to learn more about CBD, tendonitis, and what we consider the best CBD cream for tendonitis.

What is Tendonitis?

Simply put, tendonitis is the irritation or inflammation of a tendon due to overuse or strain. 

The tendons in your body are pieces of tissue that connect your muscles and bones. Tendons are found throughout your body. There are small tendons located in places like your hand, and larger rope-like ones in your legs. Your tendons react when your muscles contract, which then allows your bones to move. Healthy tendons are essential for easy and pain-free movement.

Tendons can easily suffer from tears or inflammation if too much stress is put on your joints. Although the tissue can heal itself quickly after slight or infrequent damage, if your tendons experience consistent or extreme strain, tendonitis can develop.

You’ve probably heard of at least a few of the following conditions: tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, jumper’s knee, or pitcher’s shoulder. All of those are just clever names for the same thing – tendonitis. But you don’t need to be an athlete to suffer from the condition, even activities like gardening, cleaning, or painting can cause injury to the tendons.

Common Locations of Tendonitis

You can get tendonitis in basically any area of the body where a tendon is present. However, the most common places to experience this condition include:

• Elbow
• Shoulder
• Hip
• Knee
• Thumb
• Achilles tendon (where your calf muscles connect to your heel bone)

How Serious is Tendonitis?

Tendonitis can vary greatly in severity. It can start with mild pain but can easily transition into severe injury. In some cases, if the injury is not treated properly, tendon rupture can occur. This is when the tendon becomes so damaged and overused that it breaks. Surgical repair is often required in these extreme situations. 

Because tendonitis can cause severe damage if it is left untreated and you continue to strain those tendons, it’s imperative that you seek medical treatment if your pain worsens. Make sure that you speak with your healthcare provider and get your injuries evaluated in order to see how severe the damage is, and to discuss potential treatment options. 

While CBD will not cure your tendonitis, using CBD for tendonitis can help reduce the inflammation and can reduce the pain you experience caused by tendonitis.

What Treatment is Available for Tendonitis?

Although rare, sometimes it requires surgery to treat tendonitis. Often, this is only when severe damage has been done to the tendon and only when all other treatment options are not effective. In order to avoid getting to that point, it’s crucial that you allow your body time to rest and recover, and that you utilize other forms of treatment. 

Ultimately, taking a break from whatever activity is causing the damage is your priority. It is very important that you allow your tendons the time to heal so that the injury does not get worse. 

A few options for treating tendonitis include using a splint or brace, taking certain medications, participating in physical therapy or massage, and more. Physical therapy for those with tendonitis focuses on stretching and strengthening the affected muscles and tendons. Some of the methods and treatments in physical therapy have been proven to be very effective.

If your case is more extreme, then surgical procedures are possible. Ultrasonic treatment is a procedure where the doctor will use ultrasonic sound waves to remove tendon scar tissue that is affected. Another option is dry needling, which has a goal of stimulating the factors involved in tendon healing by making small holes in the tendon with a thin needle. Lastly, if your situation is extreme and the tendon has torn away from the bone, then a surgical repair may be necessary.

If your case isn't as extreme, then it's even more important to address symptoms so that things don't get worse. Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin may be used to reduce swelling and minimize pain. However, those are not your only options. 

CBD for tendonitis may be an effective option as well. Using CBD as an exercise recovery tool isn't new. Quite a few athletes have been singing its praises, so much so that many have developed their own CBD brands or have become sponsors for already-established brands. Our blog on CBD For Exercise highlights the benefits of using CBD for muscle recovery.

Whether you want to avoid using medications altogether or you want to supplement your treatment with a more natural anti-inflammatory option, CBD is certainly something to consider. 

Before we jump into how effective a CBD cream for tendonitis can be, let us briefly discuss what CBD is and how it works.

What is CBD?

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a natural compound called a cannabinoid found in cannabis plants. It is extracted from hemp plants. 

Unlike its cousin THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is completely non-psychoactive. It does not cause you to experience a “head high” and it is completely safe for almost everyone to use. Although both CBD and THC come from cannabis plants, they vary greatly in how they affect your body. CBD generally provides you with a relaxed and calm feeling and provides many health benefits, while certain forms of marijuana containing THC can induce psychoactive effects. 

CBD works by interacting with your body’s natural endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is responsible for a lot of important tasks including regulating mood, managing appetite, promoting sleep, and more. When CBD enters the body, it links up with the ECS in a way that helps your body to naturally become more balanced. This may be through making you feel calmer and more relaxed, helping you to sleep better, and potentially improving your mood as well. You can read more on CBD and your endocannabinoid system here.

Regulations of CBD

Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD is completely federally legal in the United States. The bill legalizes the regulated production of industrial hemp plants and the extraction and sale of CBD. However, only CBD products containing less than 0.3 percent of THC can legally be sold throughout the U.S. As long as the product contains less than 0.3 percent THC (and is from a reputable company that uses safe ingredients) it is non-psychoactive and completely safe for consumption and use. 

The World Health Organization regards CBD as a safe compound without many side effects. In addition, the FDA has even approved CBD as a treatment option for epilepsy, as it is currently the main ingredient in the epilepsy medication Epidiolex. 

While frequent use is in an oil form, CBD is also effective in capsules, creams, gummies, and more. When it comes to treating the pain caused by conditions like tendonitis, using a topical CBD cream for tendonitis is a great option, although CBD oil for tennis elbow and CBD capsules are great choices as well. 

Can CBD for Tendonitis Help Alleviate the Pain?

In addition to helping your body achieve more balance overall, CBD is also known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Inflammation is the primary cause of pain in conditions like tendonitis. This means that you can use CBD for tendonitis pain relief so you can rest your body while it works to recover naturally. 

While more research must be done on the subject before anything can be proven, the studies that have been done on CBD’s effects on inflammation are very promising. This leads us to believe that CBD for tendonitis is effective in reducing the inflammation. 

A study from the European Journal of Pain shows that when CBD applies directly to the skin it can help lower inflammation and therefore reduce the pain caused by arthritis. The study found that CBD may be a safe treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). 

Another study completed in 2016 found that the topical use of CBD can help relieve the inflammation associated with arthritis as well. 

CBD and Inflammation

To better understand how CBD helps with pain relief, you must first understand how inflammation affects the body. 

Inflammation is your body’s natural response to protect itself from damage. The cause of this is from your immune system releasing white blood cells to protect the affected area. Although inflammation is essential in that it helps in the healing process, too much inflammation can cause a lot of pain. This is why many recommend anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen when you have an injury or experience pain due to inflammation. 

However, as mentioned above, those drugs are not your only option for dealing with inflammatory pain. CBD is also an effective agent in reducing inflammation and ultimately providing natural pain relief. 

How Do I Use CBD for Tendonitis Pain Relief?

You can use a CBD cream for tendonitis in order to reduce the pain you experience in that area. A tennis elbow cream that contains CBD may be a good option for managing your discomfort. Creams containing CBD are great options because they provide targeted relief. Apply the cream to your elbow or knee, wherever you’re experiencing the pain and receive direct relief. 

One of the most powerful options for the best CBD cream for tendonitis is this Medterra Pain Cream. It has 1000mg of CBD in just a 1.7 ounce container and also contains other natural ingredients. Examples of natural ingredients include menthol, arnica, and aloe to provide a cooling sensation and ultimate pain relief. Simply pump the product onto your hand, and apply directly to the affected area. Fun Fact: this product won 2021 Product of the Year in the "CBD Personal Care" section.

Two other great choices are the Green Roads Muscle and Joint Roll-Ons, one with Cooling Relief and one with Heat Relief. Both of these have 750mg in a 3 ounce roll-on, so it's a strong 250mg of CBD per ounce. This roll-on provides instant warmth or cooling to provide relief to your muscles and joints. To use, simply apply the product to your injury and rub it in. It is effective in not only relieving pain from tendonitis but general joint pain and sciatica pain as well.

Read our blog here for more CBD pain cream relief product comparisons. You can also do your own research to find out what works best for you. This article can help you find which CBD product, what dosage, and what strength can help reduce your tendonitis pain.

Here at The Green Dragon CBD, we want to support those suffering from tendonitis. Please use Coupon Code: TENDON20 for 20% off your entire order!

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