Should i take painkillers before running

But what about those of us who are just doing the odd 5K? Drs Cox and Rosenbloom surveyed Parkrunners to find out what kinds of painkillers UK runners were using regularly.

A third of these runners ran marathon-length distances and only one in eight had a pre-existing reason to swerve NSAIDs like asthma. The longer run, the more likely they were to take one during or afterward. A third of the runners surveyed had experienced suspected side effects from NSAIDs, including heartburn and — alarmingly — gastrointestinal bleeding. These kinds of anti-inflammatories have also been shown to hamper healing.

During exercise, our muscles suffer small tears — which the white blood cells rush to start rebuilding. If you take an anti-inflammatory, however, you may start to interfere with that recovery process.

We run for mental clarity, for fitness, for health; pushing your body beyond its natural capacity with the help of pain killers is counterproductive. Athletes should be aware that ibuprofen, naproxen and other NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatories with brand names like Advil, Motrin and Aleve are not benign. Many studies have linked them to heart attacks, stroke, kidney and gastrointestinal damage, even after short-term use.

This research is not new, but many athletes and coaches persist in the belief that regular use allows an athlete to train harder, which is not true. A famous study from found that ultrarunners competing at the Western States Endurance Run who took ibuprofen before and during the race had small amounts of colonic bacteria in their blood.

A New York Times article cited a Dutch study from , which noted that though exercise itself can cause intestinal leakage because blood is diverted from the major organs to the muscles during exertion, the damage is minor and temporary.

Low-mileage runners used ibuprofen to keep exercising with pre-existing pain, ongoing medical issues, or current injuries. However, longer distance runners were more interested in reducing inflammation, soreness, pain and for suspected performance improvements.

All types of use should only be done when aware of the potential risk of frequent use. A third of the runners in our study had experienced suspected side effects from NSAIDs, mainly heartburn and, in a few cases, gastrointestinal bleeding. Almost all of those surveyed said they would read advice if provided to them.

This lack of awareness combined with long-term use of NSAIDs especially when taken every run can potentially lead to health problems. For marathon and ultra-marathon runners, there are even greater specific risks. However, given that studies show NSAIDs may be counterproductive to healing and training , their use should be carefully considered by amateur athletes. Someone who uses an occasional ibuprofen tablet before or after their weekly run is likely at lower risk.

But using NSAIDs to run through injury and pain to achieve training targets is counterproductive to the long-term health benefits of running. High usage in a subset of endurance runners during demanding training, and while in sustained physiological stress during events, should definitely be avoided.