Taking an ibuprofen before running

Vicky don't take Ibuprofen, if you have an inflammation or niggle use Voltarol Emugel, my doc recommended it. I use it occasionally when I get sore joints - it really works! Rub it into the affected area a couple of times a day & suddenly you realise it doesn't feel as bad. Worth a try but overuse means you have an underlying problem that needs sorting properly, I don't see a problem with occasional use, I'm old & get niggles often!

Thank for for advice people - all appreciated.

I'll use ibuprofen (or for more serious injuries diclofenac - Voltarol is the main trade name) for a few days for an acute injury, but my basic rule is that if I need to take an NSAID for a running-induced injury, then I won't run. So, I can run when I've taken a couple of aspirin for a headache, but not take pills to dampen pain so I can run. Pain is there for a reason; people born without the ability to feel pain often don't live to be adults - because they will e.g. walk home on their broken femur...

There's conflicting evidence on whether NSAIDs used short-term after acute injury are helpful (reduce pain and excessive inflammation) or possibly unhelpful (prevent migration/activation of cells important for remodelling) regarding long-term healing, but there is evidence they are likely to be harmful if used long term prophylactically (except they may have a positive effect on healing of injuries in people with long-term increases in inflammatory markers). It's complicated.

I've noticed when I'm on a marathon that towards the end I see lots of discarded empty pill packs