Pain medication and muscle growth.
Anti-inflammatory drugs can indeed hinder your muscle growth. Many people who lift weights use them indiscriminately to relieve the discomfort of muscle soreness…
Toxicity
However, it is important to note that anti-inflammatory drugs may not be so beneficial, especially because of their potential toxicity to the kidneys, liver, and even the central nervous system when used continuously.
That is why they should always be prescribed by doctors who know how long treatment should last in each case.
Anti-inflammatory drugs prevent microtears
For lean muscle mass to increase, microtears need to occur in the muscles. This triggers an inflammatory process—a “good inflammation.” In addition, the process is only fully completed when the body “eliminates” the affected cells, allowing tissue regeneration to begin.
Inflammatory cascade
What is known as the inflammatory cascade occurs, activating satellite cells, which do not function well when you take anti-inflammatory drugs.
Therefore, by inhibiting the inflammatory cascade, we relieve the pain, but we may also be removing the trigger for muscle growth. Your body ends up thinking that there is “nothing wrong,” and therefore sees no need to “get stronger” to withstand new stimuli.
Only use medication under medical guidance!
Do medications get in the way of your results?
Muscle relaxants are a group of medications most commonly used to treat spasms and pain. This may be due to musculoskeletal disorders, such as muscle strains, tension headaches, and fibromyalgia.
They are also used to treat spasticity caused by neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Although there is little in the literature for or against using muscle relaxants after a workout or during exercise, common sense should prevail. The most common side effect of muscle relaxants is drowsiness. And this can get in the way of your workout.
Other side effects of muscle relaxants, such as dizziness and temporary blindness, can be just as dangerous during exercise. This can affect your balance and lead to head injuries.
And once again, the advice is: always rely on professional support. This applies not only to weight training, which should be supervised by a physical education instructor, but also to diet and supplementation, which should be guided by a nutritionist.
