Inflammation

by Thomas Kurz

Information on this Web page is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice.
Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner before treating yourself or others.
Always consult a physician before beginning or changing any fitness program.

This article was originally published in Stadion News Volume 9, Number 1, Winter 2002. For the current state of knowledge on taking anti-inflammatory drugs, whether nonsteroidal (NSAIDs) or steroid, to improve muscle function see a McGill University Newsroom’s article of May 2022, Discovery reveals blocking inflammation may lead to chronic pain. A less recent info, but no less true, on reducing inflammation and soreness after workouts, whether by taking NSAIDs or by icing, is in an article titled The ‘Strange Science’ Behind The Big Business Of Exercise Recovery.

Inflammation is a necessary part of healing. In the case of a muscle strain, dead muscle fibers and other debris are removed in the process of inflammation. Without removal of debris, healing and rebuilding cannot take place. The pain, swelling, and raised temperature are inseparable parts of healing.

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) relieves pain and improves muscle function in the short term but, by delaying healing, in the long term may interfere with muscle rebuilding and cause a loss of strength, which may expose athletes to an increased risk of re-injury (Almekinders 1999; Almekinders et al. 1995; Almekinders and Gilbert 1986; Jones 1999; Mishra et al. 1995; Parisien et al. 2022).

Excessive or chronic inflammation, however, is a response to a self-inflicted affliction—for example, an injury arising from poor technique, poor condition, or poor nutrition. People who do not eat healthily and do not train rationally, have chronic or systemic inflammation that may increase their chances of Alzheimer’s disease (Xie et al. 2022). If they use anti-inflammatory drugs, they may be weakening their muscles and setting themselves up for injuries and thus for more inflammation.

References
Almekinders, L. C. 1999. Anti-inflammatory treatment of muscular injuries in sport. An update of recent studies. Sports Medicine vol. 28, no. 6 (December), pp. 383–8.

Almekinders, L. C., A. J. Baynes, L. W. Bracey. 1995. An in vitro investigation into the effects of repetitive motion and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication on human tendon fibroblasts.American Journal of Sports Medicine vol. 23, no. 1 (January–February), pp. 119–23.

Almekinders, L. C., and J. A. Gilbert. 1986. Healing of experimental muscle strains and the effects of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication. American Journal of Sports Medicine vol. 14, no. 4 (July–August), pp. 303–8.

Jones, P. G. 1999. Analgesia in soft-tissue injury: current practice in Auckland is not supported by the available evidence. The New Zealand Medical Journal vol. 112, no. 1097 (October 8), pp. 376–9.

McGill University’s Newsroom, 2022. Discovery reveals blocking inflammation may lead to chronic pain.

Mishra, D. K., J. Friden, M. C. Schmitz, R. L. Lieber. 1995. Anti-inflammatory medication after muscle injury. A treatment resulting in short-term improvement but subsequent loss of muscle function. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery vol. 77, no. 10 (October), pp. 1510–9.

Parisien, M., et al. 2022. Acute inflammatory response via neutrophil activation protects against the development of chronic pain. Science Translational Medicine vol. 14, no. 644 (May).

Xie, J., L. Van Hoecke, and R. E. Vandenbroucke. 2022. The Impact of Systemic Inflammation on Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology. Frontiers in Immunology vol. 12, article 796867 (January).