Changes

=NSAIDs for Pain Reduction=

The primary purpose of NSAIDs is generally for reducing pain, and they are remarkably effective at achieving this. If you need a painkiller, acetaminophen is probably a better choice than ibuprofen, though be careful as it's easy to overdose on Acetaminophen (see below). Acetaminophen has limited anti-inflammatory properties, so it shouldn't impair healing as much as ibuprofen, but it is still good as a painkiller. Combining acetaminophen or other NSAIDs with [[Caffeine]] further improves their painkilling effectiveness. After a major race I can sometimes have so much leg pain that I can't [[Zeo Sleep Monitor|sleep]] and a little acetaminophen can make all the difference. While the acetaminophen may impair healing somewhat I believe the trade-off in improved [[Zeo Sleep Monitor|sleep]] is worthwhile. After all, the lack of [[Zeo Sleep Monitor|sleep]] itself will impair healing, so it's a reasonable compromise.

=NSAIDs and DOMS=

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) generally occurs between 24 and 72 hours after unusual or severe exercise, such as racing a marathon or downhill running. The use of NSAIDs to prevent or treat DOMS has been widely researched, with somewhat mixed results. Even scholarly reviews of the research have differing conclusions<ref name="Cheung-2003"/> <ref name="Smith-1992"/> <ref name="Baldwin Lanier-2003"/><ref name="Howatson-2008"/>. My conclusions based on the available research are:

|1xMaybe<ref name="Hasson-1993"/>

8xNo Effect<ref name="Grossman-1995"/><ref name="Pizza-1999"/><ref name="RahnamaRahmani-Nia2005"/> <ref name="KrentzQuest2008"/><ref name="Arendt-NielsenWeidner2007"/><ref name="Donnelly-1990"/><ref name="pmid12580656"/><ref name="Stone-2002"/>

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|Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)

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|}

=NSAIDs and Intestinal Damage=

As little as one hour of intense cycling can result in indications of small intestinal damage<ref name="van Wijck-2011"/>. This is believed to be due to the redirection of blood away from the digestive system and towards the active muscles. These markers are significantly higher if 400mg ibuprofen (the standard single adult dose) is taken before the exercise<ref name="VAN Wijck-2012"/>. The marker used is Plasma Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein which is an early marker of intestinal necrosis<ref name="Vermeulen Windsant-2012"/>.