Question:

Aleve is might be great, but here In Los Angeles they sell little balloons full of brown powder that is much more effective. It is sold under a variety of trade names in several languages, though "chiba" seems to be the most common. If you need a pain killer to run "chiba" is certainly effective. In fact if you increase the doseage, staying home can be amusing as well!

Response:

Yes, it works. The problem is if you block the pain messages, you are not likely to get the subtle messages that something is wrong and to back off on your training until you have a serious problem.  I’ve seen it happen.  The guy took Advil for every run until his hamstring could no longer be ignored. Now he hasn’t run in years.  NSAIDs aren’t a substitute for rest.

That’s true, especially of Tylenol, which block pain signals but doesn’t control inflammation like aspirin and ibuprofin. A good muscle relaxant I’ve heard of and had some luck with is simple magnesium. It’s essential physiologically for muscles to stop contracting, just as calcium is essential for muscle action. Best regards, Brian P. Baresch, National Sports Massage Team speaking for myself

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve kind of got a little secret – before any long run that I’ve tried this with, if I take one little Aleve tablet (over the counter pain medicine) I feel absolutely no pain at all during a run. At mileages where I can usually count on a knee pain, or shoulder pain, etc. – nothing, no pain. It’s quite unbelievable. It’s a non-prescription dosage of naproxen sodium, a muscle relaxant. I’ve had another runner friend try it too, same results. I’m wondering if there are any counter-indications besides masking what could otherwise be warning signs of something being wrong? Anyone else tried/trying this?

I have a feeling you are experiencing what some call the placebo effect. Aleve/Naprosyn/naproxen sodium is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory very similar to ibuprofen. The main difference is that it has a long period of effectiveness than ibuprofen. The time between doses is usually 8 or 12 hours compared to 4-6 hours. Before it became available OTC it was commonly prescribed to people with arthritis and other chronic ailments just so they wouldn’t have to take so many pills, and also because if someone’s chronic pain flares up every 4 hours they won’t be sleeping very well without it. I took presciption Naprosyn for a very sore shoulder several years ago. Naprosyn was rather expensive back then and the doctor at my student health clinic told me if I wanted to save money I could simply take ibuprofen – more pills, more often. It takes a while for the concentration of naproxen to build up inside the body when you first start taking it,  but then also a while for the concentration to go down when you stop. So Aleve is not a good choice for quick relief of headaches or other acute pain. And everyone should be aware of the toxicity of NSAIDs when taken above the recommended dose, without monitoring, for extended periods. Just read the package inserts. Rob

Response:

Yes, it works. The problem is if you block the pain messages, you are not likely to get the subtle messages that something is wrong and to back off on your training until you have a serious problem.  I’ve seen it happen.  The guy took Advil for every run until his hamstring could no longer be ignored. Now he hasn’t run in years.  NSAIDs aren’t a substitute for rest.

Response:

I’ve kind of got a little secret – before any long run that I’ve tried this with, if I take one little Aleve tablet (over the counter pain medicine) I feel absolutely no pain at all during a run. At mileages where I can usually count on a knee pain, or shoulder pain, etc. – nothing, no pain. It’s quite unbelievable. It’s a non-prescription dosage of naproxen sodium, a muscle relaxant. I’ve had another runner friend try it too, same results. I’m wondering if there are any counter-indications besides masking what could otherwise be warning signs of something being wrong? Anyone else tried/trying this? Mike

Response:

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