Context: The effect of ibuprofen on pain tolerance during exercise is controversial, and its effects on endurance performance have been poorly investigated.Objective: To investigate the effect of prophylactic administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen on the time until the self-report of fatigue (t lim ) in runners with exercise-induced muscle damage.Design ). Intervention(s): Participants were assigned to 2 groups (ibuprofen group ¼ 10, placebo group ¼ 10) to perform t lim trials (speed corresponded to their previously determined secondventilatory thresholds) 48 hours before and 48 hours after the induction of a lower limb muscle-damage protocol (isokinetic dynamometry). One hour before the second t lim trial, the ibuprofen group received 1.2 g ibuprofen, and the placebo group received lactose orally.Main Outcome Measure(s): Time until self-reported fatigue, heart rate, respiratory quotient, oxygen consumption, and perceived exertion were recorded during each t lim test.Results: Both groups reported increases in muscle pain in the knee extensors and flexors 48 hours after the muscledamage protocol. We observed a reduction in the endurance performance of both groups (P , .01) but no difference between groups (P ¼ .55).Conclusions: Ibuprofen did not reduce the effect of muscle damage and pain on performance. Prophylactic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs did not have an ergogenic effect on running performance after exercise-induced muscle damage in male long-distance runners.Key Words: NSAIDs, ibuprofen, muscle pain, fatigue, exercise
Key PointsMuscle-damage induction negatively affected endurance performance in both the ibuprofen and placebo groups, which suggests that ibuprofen probably did not preserve muscle-endurance performance in athletes with muscle damage before exercise. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be used with caution when the goal is improving muscle-endurance performance because side effects may be greater than expected benefits.