Treating Those ACL and TCL Sprains/Tears with CBD

Think about how much we rely on our knees throughout the day. Each time we take a step, each time we sit down and each time we step into a car, we’re depending on our knees to facilitate the motion. Because of this, it’s extremely important that we take good care of our knees. Without their functionality, we wouldn’t be able to get through the day doing all of the things that we have to do.

The problem, unfortunately, is that our knees are relatively vulnerable. Because we use them so much, and because they are such large joints on the human body, they are prone to injury.

The knee is a ball and socket joint that’s surrounded by ligaments. These ligaments help stabilize the knees so that they stay in place and only move in certain directions. However, these ligaments are prone to injury for various reasons.

The most common knee injuries involve the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and TCL (tibial collateral ligament). Both of these ligaments are considered major ligaments of the knee, and so they get a lot more use than the other ones that surround the joint. Because they are so heavily utilized, they are more prone to damage.

Because they’re so vulnerable, ACL and TCL surgery are very common. As you may already have guessed, recovering from knee surgery can be a long and painful process. However, new studies show that cannabidiol (CBD) might be able to help speed up that recovery process while minimizing its side effects such as pain and loss of sleep.

What are ACL and TCL?

Both the ACL and TCL are major ligaments of the knee, and they’re largely responsible for keeping the knees stable so that they don’t slide around with each movement.

• The ACL runs down the center of the knee at a diagonal position. It attaches the knee to the shin, which prevents improper bending of the knee while limiting the amount of weight that can be put on the shin.
• The TCL is a ligament that attaches the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). It runs along the side of the knee and helps facilitate movement while keeping the knee in place.

ACL and TCL Tears and Sprains

ACL and TCL tears and sprains are relatively common due to the demands that we put on the knees throughout the day. Both of these ligaments are prone to tears and sprains because of the many ways in which we can injure them. These ligaments can become damaged due to falling from a great height, or from simply stepping improperly and forcing our knee to move in a direction in which it’s not meant to.

Needless to say, ACL and TCL tears and sprains can be excruciatingly painful. If you’ve damaged these ligaments, you will know right away that something is wrong. The area will probably become swollen, and you will not be able to put any weight on it. You may also lose the ability to bend your knee.

How are ACL and TCL Tears and Sprains Diagnosed?

Doctors will typically begin by asking about the nature of the injury, any previous injuries, and what symptoms you are experiencing. Now, both ACL and TCL tears and sprains are easily diagnosed thanks to the follow image studies and other diagnostic tools:

• X-rays: These can help rule out fractures and other bone issues but are not effective for diagnosing soft tissue injuries like ligament tears.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): This is the gold standard for diagnosing ligament injuries and can provide a detailed view of the soft tissues around the knee. An MRI can help to determine the severity of the tear and can be crucial for surgical planning.
• Ultrasound: In some cases, an ultrasound may be used to assess ligament injuries, although it is generally less accurate than an MRI.
• Arthroscopy: Although not commonly used just for diagnosis, this is a surgical technique where a small camera is inserted into the knee joint to look directly at the ligaments. It is more invasive and is usually reserved for cases where the diagnosis is unclear or for surgical treatment.
• CT Scan: Less commonly used for ligament injuries but may offer additional insights in complex cases.

After the diagnosis, your healthcare provider will discuss treatment options with you, which may range from conservative management involving physical therapy to surgical reconstruction depending on the severity of the injury and your needs.

How ACL Tears and Sprains are Directly Treated

ACL tears and sprains can only be treated via surgery. Typically, the procedure involves removing the damaged part of the ligament and replacing it with healthy tendon tissue, usually from the neighboring hamstring.

How TCL Tears and Sprains are Directly Treated

TCL tears and sprains are treated much like ACL tears and sprains. Healthy tendon is taken from the hamstring and used to replace the damaged piece of ligament.

What to Expect After Getting TCL or ACL Surgery?

As you can imagine, knee surgery requires a fairly long recovery. This is because the knee must fully rest so that it can heal. The ligaments need to properly heal so that the knee can function properly once again, which’s why staying off of your feet for a prolonged period of time is necessary.

During the recovery process, you may experience severe pain due to the nature of the surgery. You may also feel fatigued and feel generally down, and you may experience less sleep due to the pain.

What You Need to Do During the Recovery Process

During the recovery process, it’s very important that you rest as much as possible. Not only does your knee need to heal, but your body needs to heal as it perceived the surgical procedure as traumatic. If your doctor has recommended that you take painkillers, take them responsibly in order to manage your pain levels.

Is CBD a Possible Treatment Option During the Recovery Process?

It’s possible that cannabidiol might be able to help improve the recovery process following knee surgery. How? Well, because CBD seems to have the potential to provide extraordinary pain relief while speeding up the body’s natural healing process. It may also help you with your mood and sleep-related issues – more on those in a bit here, while you recover.

CBD and Pain Relief

CBD has been heavily researched for its potential painkilling abilities. CBD possesses both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in its chemical composition.

Anti-inflammatory properties help reduce inflammation by speeding up the body’s natural healing response. This means that swelling and pain can be reduced whether applied topically or consumed orally.

Meanwhile, CBD’s analgesic properties may help improve your tolerance to pain. Analgesics affect the pain receptors in the brain. When the nervous system sends pain signals to the brain, those pain receptors respond based on their tolerance to pain. Analgesics disrupt this process by blocking the pain receptors from receiving such signals.

CBD and Sleep

CBD may be able to improve sleep as well. Like we said, trouble sleeping is common following a major surgical procedure. This is because the high pain level can cause the body to overproduce cortisol, the chemical that the brain releases when it’s under stress. CBD, it turns out, has the potential to regulate cortisol production so that a person never releases too much cortisol into the bloodstream. This can help regulate a person’s sleep cycle as cortisol is a sleep disruptor that interferes with the production of melatonin, a neurotransmitter that helps a person fall asleep easily.

CBD and Mood

Because CBD affects cortisol production, it may be able to help manage any mood-related issues that occur after surgery. High levels of cortisol are linked to both anxiety and depression, and these are two things that are fairly common following heavy surgery.

Taking CBD Following ACL or TCL Surgery

Before you start taking cannabidiol, speak with your doctor, especially if you’re already taking pain medications. If given the okay, seek out a highly reputable CBD company from which to buy your product from. Look for lab results to ensure that the product that you’re getting is high in quality and pure.

Using CBD daily for the best results and stick to the recommended dosage is preferred. If your dosage isn’t helping, then you may increase it gradually until you’re satisfied. We suggest taking a relatively high dosage following a surgical procedure for the finest results, be it a tincture, edible, capsule, vape, flower, or topical.

Knee Surgery Can Be Quite an Intense Experience, but CBD Might Be Able to Help

Both during the procedure and during the recovery stage. Resting and following your doctor’s orders have a lot to do with how well and how quickly you recover. But, now, it seems that CBD may be able to provide additional help. So, if you’re interested in taking CBD following ACL or TCL surgery, speak with your doctor and start taking it regularly in order to test its potential ability to help you feel better.