StayActiv | Natural Pain Relief

Article sites that NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain relief may not be the answer to a speedy recovery

December 18th, 2009

“Sooner or later the dreaded ‘I’ word becomes part and parcel of virtually every athlete’s vocabulary. If you’re exploring your physical limits, or your sport involves the risk of impact, it’s only a matter of time before injury strikes, delivering a double whammy.  Quite apart from the pain and discomfort of the injury itself, there’s the frustration and depression of seeing your hard-earned fitness gains slip away as each inactive day passes. Hardly surprising then that athletes seeking to return to training as soon as possible frequently turn to painkillers, and particularly to anti-inflammatory medication. However, contrary to popular belief, this type of medication can cause potentially serious side effects, and new research indicates that it may even slow down healing and increase susceptibility to injury in the longer term,” writes Andrew Hamilton.

“There is no doubt that NSAIDs can help you return to training and competition more rapidly, and provide effective pain relief in the process. It is also true that the new generation COX-2 inhibiting NSAIDs are much less risky in terms of gastric health. However, every silver lining has a cloud and NSAIDs are no exception! Although more research is needed, there’s genuine concern that (aspirin aside) NSAIDs may impair injury healing, especially of bone and ligament. And COX-2 NSAIDs may present more of a problem in this respect than traditional NSAIDs.   However, to date there’s little evidence about the possible effects of NSAIDs on soft tissue injury healing.”

“Injuries involving ligaments or bone are more problematical because some evidence indicates that COX-2 NSAIDs could seriously delay and impair healing, leaving you more vulnerable to re-injury.”

“On the other hand, if you have a sensitive stomach, a traditional NSAID may cause gastric problems, especially when taken for extended periods of time, and even these NSAIDs appear to delay healing.”

The above excerpts were taken from an article on “Peak Performance, Sporting Excellence” which is an online publication from the UK.  To read more of this article, please click on the following:  What all athletes need to know about pain relief medication

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