The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for exercise-induced muscle damage: implications for skeletal muscle development.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic and clinical literature without systematic search methodology
PubMed 23013520 · doi:10.1007/BF03262309
What was done
The author reviewed literature evaluating the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on skeletal muscle development, regeneration, and hypertrophy following exercise-induced muscle damage.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings. It reports that occasional NSAID use has little evidence of negatively affecting muscle growth, while regular short-term use in untrained individuals did not appear to impede growth (with at least one study noting a positive impact). However, chronic NSAID use is hypothesized to potentially impair long-term muscle development via inhibition of satellite cell activity.
Why it matters
The review synthesizes theoretical mechanisms and clinical data to suggest that acute post-exercise NSAID use does not hinder hypertrophy, though chronic reliance may blunt muscular adaptation.
Limits
This is a narrative review without systematic search protocols or quantitative meta-analysis. The abstract provides no specific study numbers or sample sizes and notes that evidence regarding long-term use in trained individuals remains limited.
Cited by
- supports Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can blunt exercise adaptations.