Sports Injuries and Recovery with Medical Marijuana
Reports reveal that approximately 36 states in the U.S have legalized medical marijuana use. Despite the legalization, major leagues prohibit professional athletes with sports injuries from using marijuana, even CBD or products with less than 0.3% THC, for stress, pain management, or other health needs. However, after signing the professional contracts, you can smoke tobacco or drink your favorite drink.
Instead of medical marijuana, the league allows you to rely on prescription opioids. Having marijuana in your system can end your career prematurely. With the federal government maintaining that cannabis is a Schedule I drug, athletes should expect the restrictions to continue. The regulations limit pro-athletes from accessing natural health options.
A certain article on herbs summarized the legalized legal contradiction.
The author revealed that more than a third of the major sports teams (123) in the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL play in the United States or Canada. Some teams play in places or states that legalize recreational marijuana use. Furthermore, over half the teams play in provinces or states that legalize medical marijuana.
Experts reveal that the major leagues in the states ban marijuana for sports injuries to avoid contradicting federal laws. It’s more particular when applying to pro athletes in Canada. Thus, the restrictions leave professional athletes at the mercy of massage, hot & cold therapies, and prescription drugs. Remember, some pro leagues even ban CBD ointments and creams.
Most Major Leagues Prohibits Professional Sports Athletes From Using CBD Products
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services data reveals that in 2020 the number of sports injuries stood at 8.6 million annually. One-third of these injuries occur inside sports facilities or athletic fields.
A certain movie ( Concussion by Will Smith in 2015) put the spotlight on professional football. The movies revealed that despite users and fans paying to see games, purchasing their favorite team's merchandise, and live streaming the game on TV, fans don’t usually consider the pain players have to cope with while gaming. The pain included reinjuring the past game injuries to play and fulfill their contract.
Due to the impact of injuries and recovery, it’s no coincidence that most retired professionals are advocating for medical cannabis and CBD. Some retired professionals have started their brands to help deal with sports injuries. Recently, patriots Star Rob Gronkowski revealed that He even tried CBD products after retirement. The player says He was surprised at how effective the products were in alleviating pain.
With the federal still prohibiting marijuana use, you can’t find standard CBD potencies at retail stores. Nevertheless, you can find only these products from the different brands selling CBD supplements, such as creams, tincture drops, etc., online. Due to the strict federal regulations, the FDA has fined a certain brand for unsubstantiated claims on the medical benefits of using CBD. With the restrictions, currently, we don’t have sufficient human trial evidence on how CBD works to alleviate severe pain.
What are the Common Professional Sports Injuries?
Sprains and strains are common regardless of your experience (professional or amateur athlete). These injuries usually repair or recover after a few weeks. However, you may sustain muscular-skeletal damage that leads to a lifelong disability if you have repetitive strain and sprains.
A muscle strain usually occurs after you pull your tissue’s elastic structure too far from the normal range. Experts reveal that muscles have special features allowing them to move and stretch. You must move and stretch your muscles when gaming. However, most athletes engage their muscles through intense and grueling requirements regularly. Like an old elastic band exposed to numerous stretches, these muscles usually lose the contraction and expansion ability.
Besides sprains and strains, we’ve got various other common injuries in sports. These injuries include:
● Sciatica
● Knee injuries, including the ACL tear
● Back and spine injuries
● Shin splints
● Patellofemoral syndrome
● Hip flexor strain
● Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
● Traumatic brain injury
● Rotator or shoulder cuff injuries
● Hamstring sprain or strain
● Osteoarthritis or wearing down of a particular cartilage
Physiotherapy has been the main way injured professional athletes repair their damages or injuries. Nevertheless, most recovery options are temporary, making players get injured in the same place over time in their careers.
If you’ve experienced the pain or discomfort of hitting the gym with sore muscles, you’ll emphasize with pro athletes. Most contracts depend on optimal performance and participation, so most professionals have to manage pain while having repetitive injuries. Thus, the process leads to an opportunity of having opioid addiction.
What are the Long-term Effects of Unresolved Sports Injuries?
Imagine how stressful it becomes to injure the body part you use more frequently. Injuring your back and shoulder is usually very painful as you can’t isolate their movement. You must move your arms, hips, back, and shoulders when doing anything, aggravating back pain.
Many individuals and athletes don't understand the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids. With inflammation being a common cause of chronic pains, medical marijuana can alleviate it. Due to the psychoactive nature of medical marijuana, you’ll enjoy the analgesic (pain relief) and inflammation-fighting effects.
You might find it hard to alleviate your pain when medical marijuana is unavailable as an athlete. With the adverse side effects of using NSAIDs and opioids, it’s not safe to consider them for the long term. However, prescription medication becomes a norm when having chronic pain, which may extend to your whole career life.
Can Opioids Amplify Pain in Pro-athletes?
Besides the overdose and addiction potential, studies show that opioids can intensify the pain. Manufacturers create them to shut or slow pain receptors; the body compensates for the process.
Thus, opioids may result in increased pain as athletes use them, making most former players and groups advocate for medical marijuana legalization. Medical cannabis is a more effective and safer option. Unlike other controlled substances, cannabis isn’t performance-enhancing, making it effective in alleviating pain in athletes. Thus, the treatment option guarantees you high-quality life and better performance free from chronic pain.
The Federal Government Legalizing Marijuana Can be a Gamechanger
The legislatures returned the Act or bill to legalize marijuana to the Senate in 2021. However, due to the holidays, the legislatures are yet to work on the bill.
With the political changes in the House of Representatives, Senate, and the President, will the federal government legalize medical marijuana use? Experts believe that we could see changes in medical and personal cannabis use at the federal government level.
American Bar Association, in February 2019, wrote an article on the prohibition of marijuana and athletes. The article suggests that it's against the constitution to deny medical marijuana to athletes with qualifying conditions. Furthermore, it states that the government should legalize physician-supervised marijuana therapies for sports.
Studies show that medical cannabis is safer than long-term NSAIDs and opioid use. However, you must consider various things before using pain medication. Will the team or players face civil liability if they have few symptom management options and develop a secondary disease? What will happen if you develop a permanent disability from using the medications?
Despite the millions of dollars clubs pay professional athletes, it can’t compensate for their life of unresolved pain. While the federal legislatures address marijuana prohibitions, it’ll be wise for all major league teams to get ready to adjust or change their policies. These teams should stick to drug testing and screen for performance-enhancing drugs only, excluding medical marijuana or CBD.
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