Avoiding Painkillers = NSAIDs bad for everyone?

[ChromeDome Steve]

Hi Everyone,

This is an add-on to my previous achilles tendon post here:

http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,1139.0.html


I have been taking Ibuprofen regularly lately -- I didn't think it would do any "harm" and I was just taking it to help with aches/pains and reduce inflammation after running.  Maybe a big mistake!!??

After having some weirdness with my lower calf/achilles tendon, I read that the condition known as "tendonOSIS" is perhaps more accurate for this condition in particular, and in fact most "overuse" type injuries are of the "OSIS" variety, which is actually a degenerative condition in which the tendons fail to heal correctly over time, as opposed to an "inflammation" type injury.

At any rate, the collection of articles I read seemed to hint or otherwise claim that:

A) Anti-inflammatory painkillers might just be the worst thing to take for "overuse" injuries, as they not only block pain (and thus enable you to make the overuse WORSE)

B) NSAID drugs might in fact inhibit the healing of tendons after they've been stressed. Actually PREVENTING healing.
https://www.caringmedical.com/sports_injury/nsaids.asp


Didn't know if this was common knowledge to everyone except me?

At any rate I am no longer taking drugs of any kind, and will save it for when I have the cold/flu/whatever. 

I think the only drug I have never heard anything bad about is plain aspirin!

[Eric Day]

Hi Steve,
Since suffering my achilles problem, I have avoided 100% any time of painkillers. I've done exactly what the doctor ordered me not to do: RUN. But with lots of care and listening to my body, a lot.
Agree completely in comment "A"; since you don't feel the pain, you continue doing what is causing the pain...bad idea.
On point "B", well, no idea really.

[Sasha Pachev]

I am not sure about the effect of painkillers, but I do not take them. Have done fine so far, almost 25 years of running, longest break 3 days.

[April G]

It has always been my understanding that NSAIDS are somewhat useful in the acute, inflammatory phase of an injury to help reduce the inflammation--so about the first week after the pain first starts.  After that I don't think they serve much purpose as far as healing goes but may reduce discomfort.  As for NSAIDS preventing healing I don't know much about that.  I've heard icing prevents healing because it reduces much-needed blood flow to an injured area, and is only useful in the initial, acute phase of injury, like NSAIDS, to reduce swelling and inflammation.  My guts can't take more than a week of NSAIDs anyway!

[Kim]

I am trying Traumeel. 


http://www.successful-natural-horsecare.com/traumeel.html