Have you ever taken ibuprofen, or other NSAIDS, after your workout to help with soreness and discomfort? If so, you are not alone. Many people take ibuprofen regularly after workouts. Some endurance and strength athletes even take ibuprofen before training to reduce pain and discomfort.
However, taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs after a hard workout might not be a great idea. In this post, we will answer the question, ‘should you take ibuprofen after your workout?’
Reduce Muscle Recovery and Adaptation
When you do a hard workout, you create microscopic damage in your muscles and connective tissues. Your workout disrupts homeostasis and causes a release of inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins that actually spur new muscle growth and repair. People often look for new equipment for new exercises, some even donate their old equipment, but https://lizzardco.com/does-goodwill-take-exercise-equipment/
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Taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs after a workout may actually dampen the post-workout recovery response that helps you build muscle, strength or endurance. Ibuprofen may actually reduce the release of inflammatory compounds that help you recover from exercise.
More research is probably needed to provide support to the idea that ibuprofen dampens your exercise results. In the meantime, you may still want to limit habitual ibuprofen after your workouts.
Risks of Long Term ibuprofen Use
While taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs is generally safe on occasion, the drug can cause gastrointestinal upset or even damage if taken for prolonged periods. The drug has other risks that may be exacerbated in combination with long, strenuous activity.
For instance, ibuprofen or NSAIDs was shown to overtax kidney function in a study of ultra-long distance runners. However, even the runners who did not take ibuprofen showed some signs of impaired kidney function.
Moreover, this effect might not be applicable to people performing a more moderate exercise routine and post-exercise ibuprofen may pose relatively few risks to kidney function.
Whether ibuprofen has effects on your kidney function or not, you may want to limit it before or after workouts.
When Should You Use Ibuprofen?
While you may not want to rely on chronic ibuprofen consumption after workouts, taking ibuprofen rarely before an important competition or training session may reduce soreness, reduce perceived exertion and improve power and strength output.
In the short term, ibuprofen may maximize your performance outcomes and reduce discomfort. In the long term however, ibuprofen may dampen your recovery and results from your training program.
What Can I Do Instead of Taking Ibuprofen?
If you find yourself extremely sore after a workout, active recovery low intensity cardio workouts like walking, cycling or even light jogging can reduce transient discomfort. Stretching after a workout may also reduce muscle soreness by a small degree.
Good nutrition and quality sleep will help your body repair and rebuild most effectively.
Many other popular recovery modes are actually over-hyped and under-effective. Ice baths do little to reduce soreness or boost results. Additionally, foam rolling does not work well to reduce soreness, improve mobility or increase muscle activation.
Final Thoughts
Relying on ibuprofen after workouts may help you feel better in the short term, but may pose health risks or reduce training results and recovery in the long term. A combination of low intensity activity, good nutrition and adequate sleep can help improve recovery and soreness with fewer side effects and risks.
Notes: This article does not substitute for medical advice. Always talk to your doctor for advice on over the counter and prescription NSAIDs.
