Nonsteroidals, like ibuprofen, can prevent muscle growth
Posted December 16th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb
Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Supplements, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab
Lots of athletes and exercisers take ibuprofen, an over- the-counter medication, and other nonsteroidals to ease pain in their joints and muscles. A study from the University of Florida shows that nonsteroidal drugs inhibit exercise-induced muscle growth and strength.
Athletes train by taking a hard workout and damaging their muscles. They feel sore on the next day and exercise at reduced intensity until their muscles are healed. When they feel no soreness, they take a hard workout again.
When muscles heal from the stress of a hard workout, they are larger and stronger. Damaged muscles release a healing prostaglandin called Cox-2, that causes muscle growth and increased strength. Ibuprofen blocks Cox-2 and therefore will delay or inhibit muscle growth.
Pain medicines may make you feel better, but at the cost of interfering with the strength gains you are working to achieve.
A note from our Editor: Instead of always resorting to ibuprofen and the like to treat sore muscles, try using heat compresses, ice, self-massage, rest, stretching, The Stick and holistic arnica gel. These can be just as, if not more, helpful than ibuprofen after workouts and training runs, but won’t prevent muscle growth and strength gains. In addition, make sure you are not over-training. Evaluate your current training regimen and consider adding more rests days or easy runs if you find that you are consistently dealing with minor injuries or feeling excessively sore.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and was originally published on his blog “Fitness and Health E-Zine”.
Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
Please also be advised that Dr. Mirkin’s opinions and the references cited are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
Sources used by Dr. Mirkin: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, May 2006
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: ibuprofen, injury, injury prevention, injury treatment, minor injuries, muscle growth, nonsteroidals, overtraining, strength
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