MARATHON RUNNERS TAKE IBUPROFEN TO AVOID HURT, END UP HURTING

While surfing the net I came across this May, 2005 article. The subject I thought was important to share. To often I hear stories of runners popping ibuprofen before, during and after racing and training. I have to many times seen the bloody urine on the trail due to their over use, and the horror stories of runners going into renal failure after races. Ibuprofen and dehydration, a deadly combination.

(PRLEAP.COM) At the recent Boston Marathon, runners could be seen ingesting large quantities of ibuprofen in the starting area. In fact, scientific research reveals that up to 75 percent of marathoners routinely take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen before the race and prior to long workouts. The reason for this high rate of use is that many runners believe that ibuprofen reduces the risk of muscle cramping, minimizes discomfort during exertion, and also tones down post-effort inflammation.Research in this area tells a far different story, however. Basically, scientific investigations have suggested that ibuprofen may have a negative effect on the cells which repair bone and muscles after strenuous efforts. The research also reveals that pre-exertion ingestion of ibuprofen does not thwart post-exertion inflammation, and that in fact muscles and tendons often recover more quickly from strenuous exercise when placebo is given to subjects, instead of ibuprofen! Furthermore, ibuprofen is linked with gastro-intestinal dysfunction during exercise; instead of lowering the likelihood of muscle cramping, ibuprofen may actually hike the chances of stomach and intestinal cramps, as well as diarrhea. Importantly, ibuprofen seems to lower protein-synthesis rates in muscles after intense exercise, an effect which would certainly retard recovery.The bottom lines? Endurance athletes are misusing ibuprofen, a drug which has a much-greater "down" than "up" side when taken before exercise.
In my opinion "just don't do it". If it hurts that much to run, maybe you need to make some changes. Try different shoes, cross training, strength training, but stay away from the drugs.
MJ