NSAID Use After Intense Exercise May Hinder Natural Recovery, Experts Warn

Delayed‑onset muscle soreness (DOMS) often follows high‑intensity weight training or marathon running. Many individuals take non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce the pain. However, from the perspectives of sports pharmacology and exercise physiology, using medication for post‑exercise pain relief can be a factor that impedes natural recovery. Pharmacist Jeong Sang‑won, president of the Korean Society of Sports Pharmacy, discussed the meaning of post‑exercise muscle pain and proper medication use. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, serving as a “recovery signal” from the body.