I found this really interesting article titled, "Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for athletes: an update". (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877065710000576) This paper gave a great overview of the effects of chronic NSAID use in athletes, especially their possible negative consequences in regard to the long-term healing process of injuries. The article discusses the fact that many athletes constantly take NSAIDs in order to continue participating in their sport after severe injury. It's all about speeding up their recovery time and getting back in the game as quickly as possible. In American football players, 1 in 7 high school athletes took NSAIDs daily and 29% of college athletes took them on the day of a game or event to prevent pain.
It has been widely established that NSAIDs cause GI disorders and disrupt renal function. The article goes into several recent studies that show NSAIDs can also negatively affect cell metabolism and growth of the major tissues in the muscular and skeletal systems. The article discusses many different types of athletic injuries and how NSAIDs either benefit or harm the healing process in particular situations. It was found that with ligament injuries (sprains), NSAIDs are helpful in reducing pain and swelling if used for less than 5 days (short term). However, after long term use, patients showed reduced joint amplitude, increased anterior laxity, and higher recidivism rate. There is no evidence that NSAIDs are effective at treating tendon injuries, since tendinopathy does not involve inflammation.
In regard to bone injuries, prostaglandin E stimulates bone resorption by recruiting osteoclasts and driving osteoblast differentiation. If a particular drug interferes with prostaglandin synthesis, it can negatively impact bone growth and strength. Since NSAIDs work in part by blocking prostaglandin synthesis, they can be detrimental to bone formation and healing immediately following a fracture or stress fracture. In regard to muscular injuries, when NSAIDs are administered for about a week surrounding the traumatic event, there was observed to be a reduction of satellite cells induced by effort. Satellite cells are important for muscle regeneration, and they depend on the presence of prostaglandin, which we know is blocked by NSAIDs. Taking NSAIDs on a regular basis may decrease the ability of the muscle to heal.
I think it is extremely worrysome that NSAIDs effectively allow athletes to mask the severe symptoms associated with their injuries, simply because they want to continue participating in a sport. I believe that athletes should try to put aside their immediate desire to play a sport, and take a good, hard look at the long term consequences of chronic NSAID use, and the quality of life they will have long after they step off the field.
The article you posted was really interesting. Its funny because when you think about taking some Advil or another NSAID, you don't think that it could potentially cause you real harm because its available over the counter. I know when I'm in pain I usually go for an Advil but lately Ive been more cautious because I know about the potential gastrointestinal damage that can be caused by taking too much. I also found it interesting that these athletes are taking NSAID's to help with pain but at the same time are causing more damage to their injuries. And not only are they taking it for that they are also using it as a preventative measure, which is crazy. I read another article talking about the dangers of prolonged use of NSAID's and its even more dangerous in the elderly. So like you pointed out, I also agree that it is worrisome that athletes are using these drugs to mask their symptoms just so they can get back in the game. They don't know that they could be making it much worse for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Yvette as well. This is a great article as you can say that NSAIDS are one of the most easily accessible drugs and most often people forget its adverse effects. As athletes taking part in sports, one of their primary goal is to alleviate the pain without taking into account some of the serious irreversible side-effects such as GI tract and Renal problems. I also think it is important to educate ourselves regarding the different types of NSAIDs and what might work well for each of us based on our medical condition.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post Kelly! I used to play competitive soccer for about 13 years. There is just a lot of wear and tear on your joints from practicing nearly everyday. I mentioned in class that when I would have these problems or headaches I was taking Ibuprofen nearly every day. I developed stomach ulcers probably from the stress of the sport and the ibuprofen. Since we are on the topic of sports, I thought I would share that concussions are really common in all types of sports and it can be extremely dangerous to take an NSAID for injury to the brain. Many of these NSAIDs increase the risk of bleeding, which can be very dangerous in the brain. For concussions it is recommended to take a Tylenol.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting and somewhat disturbing. Considering that I am already against taking medications for treating minor issues or aches and pains, this article only strengthened this opinion. In terms of the potential problems caused by long term usage of NSAIDS, it is ironic and unfortunate that the intended purpose of the drug is actually undermined by their potentially disastrous long term effects on the body. One of the interesting, and frightening things about this article was the percentages of young athletes who are using NSAIDS in a manner that is potentially harmful. I have a feeling that if these athletes were aware of the potential to harm muscle regeneration, let alone the other potential harms, they would be cautious about using these drugs long term. I feel it should be required that coaches, trainers, and other persons involved with youth or college athletics should be provided with this information, or additional new studies that pertain to the athletes. The athletes themselves should also be made aware to the potential dangers or even career ending complications that can arise from a quick fix pill.
ReplyDeleteThis article was pretty shocking to me. I had no idea so many athletes were turning to chronic use of NSAIDS. As we discussed last week in class, not many people know the difference between the pain pills they take, and even less know about the damage prolonged use can cause. Anny brought up exactly what I was thinking while I was reading this article, there needs to be more education on this problem. I also brought up in class that people need to be better about reading the labels on the medication they take as well. I usually take Excedrin when I get headaches, and it says right on the bottle do not use for prolonged periods of time. Can anyone else confirm if this type of warning is present on medications like Tylenol or Ibuprofen?
ReplyDeleteThis problem of wanting to play instead of taking a break and healing is also commonly seen in concussions of athletes. Anyone who is currently in Dr. Rankin's class will know what I'm talking about. Kids have received permanent brain damage by receiving a concussion and then going back in because they want to keep playing.
William addressed part of the issue here. Athletes who immerse themselves in only their sport can potentially being to define their value and identity based solely on their athletic accomplishments and performance. These individuals can perceive chronic injuries as a life or death matter. This can lead to psychological trauma following an injury and could make recovery difficult. I can see this being more prevalent with high school students, aka the jocks, and college athletes who don’t put any emphasis on education. This mentally makes athletes venerable to any suggestions made about improving their recovery, without really weighing the dangers of these treatments. This is another example just because it is given over the counter dues mean it is safe. When comparing it to other popular banned substances, like steroids, EPO, HGH, etc., it may not seem as dangerous but in fact can carry similar risks. The bad part is that these subjections are typically given from sport physicians or athletic trainers.
ReplyDeleteReference:
http://www.sisport.com/sisport/files/Recovery%20Booklet%20Extension%20-%20Psychological%20recovery.pdf