Ouch, You Got a Charley Horse! Should You Take CBD For the Pain?

Few types of pain are as sudden and intense as a charley horse, aka a leg cramp.  If you’ve never had to deal with this type of pain, consider yourself lucky, because it can be debilitating.  Although a charley horse tends to be short-lived, the pain can be so intense that the sufferer feels desperate to make it stop.  And, in rare cases, a charley horse can last beyond several hours, and even up to a couple of days.  So, the next time you experience a charley horse, you might find it extremely helpful to reach for some cannabidiol (CBD), especially in a topical form, as you will soon find out here.

What is a Charley Horse?

A charley horse is a sudden contraction of the calf muscle which is completely involuntary.  It can feel like someone has suddenly twisted the muscle, or simply squeezed it.  The result is pain that can be excruciating, to the point that the person is unable to walk on that leg or put any weight on it at all. 

Charley horses are most likely to happen during physical activity, or in the middle of the night.  During physical activity, such as weight-lifting or running, they happen because the muscle of the calf becomes fatigued, which can be exacerbated by being dehydrated, deficient in minerals or exercising in very hot weather.  It can also happen due to poor circulation.  If it happens in the middle of the night, this is usually due to poor sleep posture which either stresses the calf muscle or cuts off circulation to the muscular tissue.

Treating a Charley Horse

Charley horses most commonly last for no more than a couple of minutes, which means that by the time you’d go to seek treatment, the issue would be gone.  However, rarely they can last for more than that, with extremely rare cases taking a couple of days to resolve themselves.  If you’re dealing with an unusually long-lasting leg cramp, you should seek medical attention immediately, since this can be a sign of something more serious related to dehydration, circulation or damage to the muscle.

If you are someone who gets frequent charley horses, then again, you will want to see a specialist.  Having this problem frequently is abnormal, and thus, can mean that you need to make a change, such as increasing your mineral intake, better maintaining your hydration levels, or addressing circulation problems within the legs.  For frequent or severe charley horses, a doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxer.

What Might CBD Do For a Charley Horse?

Cannabidiol is the dominant chemical compound found in the hemp plant, and as a cannabinoid, CBD has the important role of binding to cannabinoid receptors in each system of the body to regulate their critical processes that affect our overall wellbeing and functionality.  When it comes to charley horses, CBD offers properties that might be able to address the intensity of the discomfort felt.  Mainly, it has a soothing effect on the muscular tissue, combined with analgesic properties that balance the nervous system’s pain sensitivity by making pain receptors less reactive.

The best way to use cannabidiol for a charley horse is by applying a topical directly to the affected area.  Topicals absorb into the muscular tissue within just minutes, and provide a far more direct, targeted and localized form of relief than products that are taken internally, which disperse themselves more widely throughout the body.  Basically, with a CBD topical, you’re applying cannabidiol straight to the root of the problem for a more effective form of relief.

One thing we need to mention is that if you’re taking a prescription muscle relaxer for a charley horse, and you choose to ingest CBD, you should ask your doctor whether or not it’s safe to do so.  CBD may suppress the CYP3A4 enzyme needed to metabolize certain medications, and essentially, your doctor can provide more information.

Try Nectar Wellness Supercharged™ CBD Cream For Charley Horse Relief

If you’re prone to charley horses and are given the okay to do so by your doctor, Nectar Wellness  Supercharged™ CBD Cream is where it’s at.  This fast-absorbing and powerful formula soaks into the muscle tissue in minutes, and even has what it takes to provide a release of tension directly to the muscle of the calf.  It’s clear that cannabidiol’s properties are capable of offering relief to all kinds of cramps, along with other forms of discomfort, and so that right there is what makes Supercharged™ CBD Cream always great to have on hand.