This follows sports medicine research in the last several years. Basically, ibuprofen works as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the body’s natural reactions to injury, especially the chemicals that stimulate healing. People use it because it works as a miracle drug that stops pain, especially in acute joint injuries. The problem is that the pain is caused in part by healing and repair, something you shouldn’t inhibit. Research shows that ibuprofen may slow not only the healing of tissue injury but the body’s reaction to stimulation. Which means you’re not only slowing the healing but you’re telling the body not to adapt to training.
This is a difficult thing because ibuprofen was such a mainstay of the athletic community for the last few decades. But ibuprofen should only be prescribed by a physician. If pain needs to be reduced, then take tylenol and use ice. Realistically, any injury requiring tylenol needs to be looked at and evaluated as in the previous post, to prevent further injury.
I’ve made this mistake myself but I won’t be doing it any more. If you want ibuprofen, get it signed off by a doctor who is treating your injury. Don’t self-medicate with it.
Note: this applies to all NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.