Natural Remedies for Muscle Strain: The Athlete’s Guide to High-Performance Recovery

Natural remedies for muscle strain

Athletes are over ice packs and bland home remedies. Ice takes too long to reduce inflammation deep in the muscles, and home remedies lack the necessary pharmaceutical-grade ingredients to make a substantial impact. When you’re trying to perform at your absolute best, you can’t afford to wait around for soreness to subside. You know the struggle. Do you put cream on that knot and feel like crap, or take an NSAID and risk the side effects? Why not try a clinical-strength CBD top performer oil roll-on for muscle pain instead? Target the source of your inflammation and start feeling better without ingesting pills.

Your game should not suffer because you’re trying to recover. We’re going to dive into why professional CBD products work better than home remedies when it comes to recovering from muscle strains and pulls. You’ll learn about the research supporting NSF Certified, 3,000mg CBD roll-on and discover exactly what recovery protocol you should be following to stay competition-compliant. It’s time to stop playing guessing games with your body.

Key Takeaways

  • Not all muscle strains are created equal. Here’s how to tailor your approach depending on the grade of injury you sustain.
  • Everyone knows how menthol and arnica work together to help injuries. But did you know when you add premium CBD, the formula is far more effective than anything you’ll find at the drugstore?
  • Why do we recommend a 3000mg CBD roll-on instead of a 1500mg for muscle strain? Hint: It has to do with your pecs. 
  • We’ll show you how to take a smart 72-hour approach to active recovery. You’ll keep the tissues fed and cut down your time away from the gym.
  • NSF Certified for Sport® means you can use these whenever you need them and feel confident that they’re compliant to use during competitions.

Table of Contents

The Anatomy of Muscle Strain: Why Natural Recovery is the Elite Choice.

When most people think of a muscle strain, they think of it as a “pull.” Pulls are tissue damage. Understanding the biology of pulls is key to keeping you out of the training room. Muscle pulls occur when there is acute overloading of the muscle fibers or tendon tissue causing microscopic ruptures. You lift/reach/sprint too much for that particular muscle and…it gives out. Inflammatory cells arrive on site quickly to clean up the mess. Continuing to exercise the injured area without proper healing can cause further weakening of the muscle.

There are three clinical grades of muscle pulls. Grade 1- minimal damage to few muscle fibers. Grade 2: more extensive damage/partial tear with significant loss of strength. These are the ones you can treat naturally. Grade 3- complete tear of the muscle. That’ll take a doctor's visit. Both grade 1 and 2 strains can benefit from a high-potency CBD top rub for strains and bruises. You get targeted relief to the affected area without the complications of oral products.

One of the biggest mistakes athletes make when they experience a muscle strain is to take anti-inflammatories. I’m sure we all know these guys, NSAIDs. Taking anti-inflammatories causes the body to produce less muscle protein over time. Essentially what you’re doing is numbing the pain receptors. Letting your body run its natural course of muscle healing. All while taking something that thwarts your body from producing the necessary building blocks to not only repair but also get stronger than before. 

How Natural Anti-inflammatories Work. 

Natural ingredients work topically so they penetrate your skin and interact with your body’s inflammatory response. Anti-inflammatories increase blood flow to help remove waste (i.e., lactate and dead cells) from overworked muscles and tissue while simultaneously bringing in nutrients to promote healthy cellular regeneration. Topicals target affected areas directly, meaning higher concentrations where it counts. Pills and creams have to travel through your system, which spreads their potency and can upset your stomach.

When to Use Natural Remedies vs. See a Doctor.

Look for certain tell-tale signs to gauge how serious your injury may be. Swelling, twitching, and partial loss of mobility typically indicate a mild 1 or 2. If used within 24 hours of injury, a medical-grade CBD topically for muscles can minimize secondary damage. However, if full mobility is lost, you notice a knot in your muscle, or severe bruising appears immediately, you may have experienced a grade 3 muscle tear and should consult your doctor.

CBD Rub For Muscle Strain | Nature’s Best Ingredients, Decoded.

Off-the-shelf drugstore muscle rubs tend to have only one working ingredient. As an athlete of elite aspirations, one ingredient won’t cut it. You need angles. With the “Triple Threat” of natural muscle recovery-menthol, arnica, and CBD—you're hitting trauma at 3 different biological targets. The reason most single-ingredient formulas fail is that they work on the surface body’s reaction to trauma, like pain. You want to combine cooling power with an anti-inflammatory that gets deep into the muscle tissue. You want recovery to happen starting at the muscle belly, where all the micro-tears are, not topically on your skin.

The ability to precisely target injured areas with a CBD roll-on instead of a goopy cream or salve is key. Instead of rubbing all over and wasting product not where you need it, spray it on point-blank where the injury is and saturate that tissue! Not to mention it keeps your hands clean... and your gloves, uniforms, and sweatbands CBD-free during a workout.

Arnica Montana: Mother Nature’s Trauma Specialist. 

Arnica has been used for centuries to help with acute swelling and bruising of soft tissue. Science supports its use with the identification of helenalin. Helenalin is an anti-inflammatory compound proven to help reduce fluid buildup in the affected muscle. When dealing with new muscle strains, it is critical to apply Arnica as soon as possible. The objective with any new injury is to prevent localized edema from spreading. Not only will you return to functional movement quicker, but you will also maintain your range of motion by preventing internal pressure of the injury.

Menthol: The Portable Cryotherapy. 

Menthol offers nearly instantaneous pain relief by activating the TRPM8 cold sensors in your skin. The result is a cooling sensation that your brain interprets as cryotherapy. Menthol works by utilizing the “gate control theory" of pain management. If you flood your nerves with the cooling sensation, your brain will ignore the underlying pain signal from the strain. Menthol is great to use as a pre-treatment to open up the area for maximum penetration of healing compounds like CBD and arnica. Of course you should always follow standard medical procedure when it comes to treating muscle strains. But when you want to recover as hard as you train, only a professional-grade topical will do. Apply 3000mg CBD roll-on for muscles & joints and take your recovery to the next level.

The Potency Standard: Why 3000mg CBD Outperforms Generic Topicals.

“I tried CBD, and it didn’t work.” It’s the most common complaint we hear from athletes. And 9 times out of 10, it’s not the compound that failed you; it’s the strength. CBD topicals from your local drugstore average between 250 mg and 500 mg of CBD per bottle. If you’re a big guy with a lot of muscle mass, that’s just not enough CBD mathematically. You need enough of a “push” to get past the outer layers of your quads, hammies, or glutes. That’s why you need a high-potency CBD roll-on for muscle pain to get a clinical-grade dose with each application. When using a low-dose CBD topical, you might as well not even use it. It’s not penetrating deep enough to affect the trauma your muscles are experiencing. It has to pass through the skin barrier.

We mentioned earlier that cannabinoids work off of concentration gradients when used topically. Your skin is designed to keep things out. The only way to push active ingredients into your deeper tissue is to have enough of a concentration to “push” them through your dermis. In fact, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study showed that there are specific concentrations of cannabinoids needed to elicit a change in recovery metrics. With 3000mg of CBD, you’re getting 6 times the potency found in everyday wellness products. That means you know you’re getting enough of the active compound into your microscopic muscle tears.

NSF Certified for Sport®: Don’t Compromise on Quality.

Performance athletes need potency and 100% guaranteed purity. “THC-free” on a non-brand name label is usually just a marketing claim. That’s why NSF Certified Sport CBD Matters to Competitive Athletes is something we take very seriously and is one of the pillars of professional recovery. NSF Certified for Sport® ensures the product only contains what’s on the label AND that it is free from over 280 performance-enhancing drugs and medications banned by most athletic agencies. Say goodbye to failed drug tests and hello to clean professional and collegiate play.

High Potency vs. Systemic Side Effects.

The benefit of using something as high potency as a 3,000mg topical is that you can apply it directly to the area you need relief in. Instead of taking medicine orally, it is absorbed through the skin. Pain pills have to travel through your digestive track, liver, and kidneys. You're putting unnecessary stress on your system and risking long-term side effects. Instead of swallowing medication, saturate the area you need relief in. Apply your roll-on in small circles all over the affected area, extending about 2 inches past the injured site. This ensures you are targeting the whole inflammation area. You are allowing yourself to feel the greatest sense of relief in your injured area without taxing your internal organs with foreign processed substances. Target muscle strains daily with a professional-grade CBD roll-on. 

72-Hour Strain Recovery Protocol 

Don’t take time off. Ever hear of passive recovery? Neither have we. Sitting around all day causes tissue atrophy and chronic tightness. If you want to bounce back between training cycles, you need to follow a strict, regimented recovery protocol that takes you from injured to insulated in 72 hours flat.

Think of taking care of your strained muscles as if you were preparing for a training block. By being proactive about your recovery, you’ll decrease your chance of re-aggravation and get back in the game sooner.

  • Hour 0-6: Shock Phase 
    Calm the storm. Ice helps numb the pain response and limit inflammatory tissue expansion. Applying your CBD roll-on for muscle strain right away jump-starts the anti-inflammatory process when your tissues need it most.
  • Hour 6-24: Compression Phase 
    Lock it down. You want to keep the concentration of active ingredients in your injured tissue consistent. By wrapping the affected area you limit additional fluid buildup. Reapply your CBD roll-on for muscle strain every 4-6 hours to keep the affected area bombarded with recovery nutrients.
  • Hour 24-48: Mobility Phase 
    Light movement is key. Light cardio helps clear cellular debris. The idea is to promote blood flow to the affected area without widening those microscopic tears.
  • Hour 48-72: Heat Phase 
    Deep heat. Applying heat helps your muscles relax and allow for topicals to penetrate deeper into your skin. The higher the potency of your CBD topical, the deeper it’ll reach into your muscle tissue for late-stage recovery.

Pairing R.I.C.E. with CBD Topicals 

Research shows traditional R.I.C.E. therapy is only useful when incorporating medical-grade formulations. Spray on the roll-on directly to the skin prior to wearing your compression wrap. The process of trapping the active ingredients and allowing them to slowly release into your tissue prevents them from evaporating. Also, be sure to elevate your limb above your heart for optimal lymphatic drainage. Here’s How 3,000mg CBD Helps Muscle Recovery After a Workout explains the reasoning behind this precise methodology. Protect your recovery with 3,000 MG CBD Roll-On For Muscles & Joints and guarantee your at-home regiment is holding up to industry standards.

Exercise is the best medicine: When To Begin Stretching

Stretching out a new injury can cause even more microscopic tearing of fibers. Rather than reaching range of motion with your bodyweight, apply topicals to your area of concern and complete light isotonic movements. “Static contractions” allow you to hold tension without shortening or lengthening your strained muscle. Target trigger points with the roll-on, as they tend to surround the outer region of your injury. You don’t want to pull or tighten other groups of muscles and become biomechanically uneven once you return to training.

Gameday CBD: Professional-Grade Relief for Competitive Performance.

By now you know we only recommend the highest-performing products, designed with scientific precision for those who demand a lot from their body. The Gameday CBD 3000 mg Roll-on is everything you’ve learned about recovery in this ebook...and more. Professional athletes don’t settle for store-brand items masquerading as recovery products. When you roll on CBD for muscle knots, you need to know that the formula is powerful enough to permeate deep tissue and will remain active long enough to support your recovery process from start to finish.

You’re not wasting time with a greasy cream that needs to be rubbed in. Athletes need top-shelf products that work when they need them to work. The Gameday CBD Roll-On provides a quick, mess-free application that won’t compromise your grip or get all over your equipment. It’s tried and true by athletes themselves. Plus, it’s THC-free and NSF Certified for Sport® every batch, so you can feel confident that your CBD is meeting standards set by both professional and collegiate standards. Think of the 3,000mg CBD Roll-On Victory Bundle as your arsenal for tackling multiple pain points all over your body with a formula designed for multi-week therapy.

The High Frequency Athlete’s Formula 

We selected a 3,000 mg potency because research indicates that sub-3,000 mg doses of CBD do not reach the bloodstream when applied topically to larger muscles. Inside you’ll find a trifecta of cooling ingredients that pair perfectly with CBD. Menthol hits first with a cooling sensation. Arnica works to reduce trauma and swelling. And CBD kicks into gear calming inflammation at the source. Learn more about our triple-action approach in The 3,000 mg CBD Roll-On: Built for Better Athletic Recovery & Performance.  

Use What Pros Use: Why Trainers Choose Gameday.

Elite-level trainers see Gameday as a vetted option that can easily become part of your daily "prehab" and "rehab" routine. Roll-on before your training session to address any nagging pre-existing tightness. Roll on after your workout to target microtears your body suffered from that day’s bout with acute overexertion. Stop inflammation before it starts so minor pulls don’t turn into season-ending injuries. Stop wasting your time with drugstore brands that don’t have the THC-free potency to deliver real results. Ensure your recovery when you shop the 3,000mg CBD roll-on for muscles & joints and stay in the game.

Dominate Your Return to the Field

When you’re trying to recover like a professional, you can’t afford to waste time with subpar options. Step up from drugstore muscle rubs to the CBD roll-on that works while you work out. Follow a proven 72-hour protocol with the complementary benefits of menthol, arnica, and absolutely smashing amounts of CBD (we’re talking 3,000mg per roll-on!). Say goodbye to guess work when it comes to healing torn muscle tissue. Don’t jeopardize your long-term gains by sacrificing muscle protein synthesis for a few days of pain relief.

Gameday CBD is used by athletes across the country to gain access to the professional-grade products their teams use. All of our formulas are made to the highest standards and are NSF Certified for Sport®, so you can feel confident you’re getting a clean, high-potency product that has been third-party tested to meet the most stringent regulatory standards. Take your recovery into your own hands with the NSF-Certified 3,000mg CBD Roll-On for Elite Recovery. Your next workout awaits. Stay strong! 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I heal a muscle strain naturally the fastest?

By adhering to a strict active recovery regimen and applying a high-potency topical as needed. Refer to our 72-hour protocol and begin cryotherapy with a CBD roll-on for muscle strain to help modulate inflammation ASAP. Try to avoid complete rest if possible because movement will promote flushing of metabolic byproducts and prevent the surrounding tissue from stagnating or locking up too much.

Do you put CBD or arnica on sore muscles?

The answer isn’t one or the other; you need both. Think of arnica as a highly skilled contract worker who specializes in reducing acute swelling and bruising in soft tissue. CBD works on deeper levels of inflammation signaling to help you take care of long-term recovery. A professional-grade formula with both ingredients will allow you to attack the injury from multiple pathways at once.

Can professional athletes use CBD topicals? 

Yes, any CBD product that is NSF Certified for Sport® will be safe to use. As long as the CBD topical is NSF Certified for Sport, you know for certain there are no banned substances inside (over 280+) and that there is no THC in the formula. All professional and collegiate athletes should ONLY be using third-party-verified products to ensure they are adhering to WADA compliance.

How often should I apply CBD salve for muscle strains?

During the first 48 hours you should apply your CBD muscle rub anywhere from 3-4 times per day. You want to keep the injured area saturated with as many of the active recovery compounds as possible. Much like taking a pain reliever to stay on top of muscle pain, your body needs consistent application to help heal the micro tears and reduce swelling all day long.

Do natural muscle pain relievers work for a grade 2 muscle strain?

Yes, they can, but only if they’re high potency. With any natural remedy for muscle pain, you need to make sure it’s strong enough to reach deep into your muscle tissue. A grade 2 strain means you have a partial muscle tear with a lot of inflammation surrounding the injury. A 3000 mg CBD roll-on for muscle strain gives you enough clinical-grade CBD to penetrate to those deeper levels of tissue damage that regular drugstore muscle rubs can’t reach.

Can you fail a drug test from using topical CBD?

It is extremely unlikely that using topical CBD would cause you to fail any kind of workplace drug screening. Standard drug tests look for THC metabolites in your blood or urine. CBD topicals are applied topically and do not enter your bloodstream in sufficient quantities to be detected. Sticking with a product that is verified to be THC-free also takes away any chance of consuming accidental THC.

How do you heal a strained muscle? 

Allow time for the damaged muscle fibers to repair by resting the affected muscle. Rebuild muscle strength and flexibility by gradually increasing your physical activity. Apply ice or a cooling topical during the first 24-48 hours to help limit inflammation. After that you can begin applying heat and deeper penetrating topicals to open up the pores and encourage the healing ingredients to penetrate the muscle belly.

What’s the difference between a sprain and a strain?

Sprains and strains both affect different bands of supporting tissue in your body. Sprains are more common in ligaments, whereas strains impact muscles/tendons. Both injuries can happen when you overexert yourself and cause trauma to the area. Although they happen to different tissues, they can both benefit from utilizing the same anti-inflammatory regimen.