How to Use CBD for Pickleball and Other Racquet Sports

Who plays pickleball these days? Pretty much everyone—including top athletes like NBA and NFL stars LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant and Patrick Mahomes—and it’s happening everywhere, far beyond pickleball’s roots in the Pacific Northwest. 

While there’s a lot of appeal to this low-impact volley of whiffleball spins, returns, game strategy and socializing, pickleball also offers a surprisingly physical workout. And every serious workout opens the door for overdoing it. That’s where CBD salves and other CBD topicals come in, with relief for sore muscles and joints.

Coping With Common Pickleball Injuries

Pickleball may not be as strenuous as other racquet-swinging sports like tennis, badminton, squash and racquetball, but it does encourage players to hustle. And like any sport, soft tissues can get tweaked, repetitive motions can stress ligaments and joints, and accidents happen. Common pickleball injuries include: 

• Sprained ankles
• ACL damage
• Aggravated arthritis
• Elbow ligament strains and other lower-arm overuse injuries
• Rotator cuff stress
• Achilles tendonitis
• Broken bones

While research into cannabidiol (CBD) is ongoing, researchers have found CBD to exhibit various therapeutic properties, with preliminary lab studies on cells and animal models demonstrating anti-inflammatory properties as well as the potential to help aid in bone growth. However, there remains a need to pursue further human clinical trials to prove out the potential benefits.

Pickleball and CBD: A Perfect Match 

There’s a lot of overlap between people who use CBD salves and other topicals, and the demographics that are trying pickleball. A 2023 Forbes Health survey found that 59% of respondents ages 42-57 use CBD, as do 49% of respondents ages 58-76. 

That’s good news for people who fall in the middle of that Venn diagram— Pickleball Club Magazine has covered the potential of CBD products to help pickleball players “reduce soreness” and “help with injury prevention.” And while pickleball and CBD both may be relative newcomers in the sectors of sport and wellness, there’s a lot of synergy already. CBD brands have even sponsored USA Pickleball players. 

Benefits of CBD Topicals for Pickleball Players

CBD salves can be used before, during and after pickleball games, as well as other workouts. Not only do full-spectrum CBD topicals allow for targeted application of CBD and other powerful plant botanicals, but some people also like the peace of mind that comes from using a cannabis plant product externally. CBD salves are one way to sidestep concerns about the potential interaction of ingested CBD with medications or supplements.

How to Use CBD Topicals for Pickleball

If you’re wondering what to look for in a CBD topical, pick a bioavailable formula with full-spectrum CBD. What sets full-spectrum CBD apart from broad-spectrum CBD or Isolate (CBD only products) is that these products do contain trace amounts of THC and other cannabinoids—albeit at sub-perceptual, legal levels. When absorbed into the skin and endocannabinoid system, there is just enough of these additional ingredients to enhance the effects of CBD and terpenes.

Choosing a CBD salve that will absorb into the skin without leaving a greasy residue on your pickleball racquet or whiffle ball is also important. The quick-to-absorb natural oils and fats in Entourus CBD salves help carry cannabinoids and terpenes like humulene and limonene to endocannabinoid receptors for long lasting relief. We meticulously crafted our CBD salves to promote nourishing hydration, and deep absorption of our powerful plant botanicals in the epidermis and dermis where it counts, not linger on the surface of your skin.

Whether you choose Entourus essential oil topicals or terpene topicals, these CBD salves are effective for about four to six hours before it’s time to reapply. That’s a lot of pickleball.

The Future of Cannabis Sports Medicine

How to use CBD muscle cream depends in part on your goals. Some people spread a CBD salve on areas that tend to get sore during play—like elbows or knees—ahead of getting on the court, so the CBD has time to absorb and activate during warm-up. Others prefer to apply or reapply after playing to avoid feeling muscle strain or joint discomfort later in the day.

Apply a generous layer of CBD salve before your first serve. And if you sense the effects starting to wear off after a few games, rub a little more on before you pack up and leave the court. Follow up with best practices for cool-down and recovery like hydration, stretching and applying ice.

See for yourself why more and more pickleball players—and other sports enthusiasts—view CBD as the future of cannabis medicine. 

At Entourus, we developed our CBD salves to not only include full-spectrum CBD from non-GMO hemp, but also our specialized terpene blend optimized for maximum relief, including limonene and humulene. We offer CBD salve for pain, CBD salve for sleep and CBD salve for muscles, as well as terpene salve for pain, terpene salve for sleep and terpene salve for general wellness in concentrations of 1000 MG, 1500 MG and 2000 MG so you can find the perfect dose for your needs. Curious about how to use CBD muscle cream? We have a blog on that too. 

Learn more about cannabis topicals on our FAQ.