Kelly Frankson DOT COM

Found an article comparing Tylenol to Ibuprofen.  Below I’ve highlighted the aspects most relevant to crossfiters.

<!–adsense–>Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is classified as an analgesic (pain medication) and has no anti-inflammatory properties.  Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), like naproxen (Aleve),is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.  Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen are beneficial for the treatment of mild to moderate pain and fever.

Crossfit injuries tend to involve both pain and inflammation, so ibuprofen is generally the better choice.

There are important considerations in taking any medications.  Acetaminophen can cause liver damage, a risk that increases in individuals who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day.  Ibuprofen has been reported to cause kidney failure and stomach irritation, ulceration an bleeding.

The results of research (on mice) by M. Murnagham et al have shown that the use of NSAIDS may have an inhibitory effect on fracture repair when used longer than four weeks.  One possible reason may be a reduction in blood flow, which results in poorer healing, inflammation, though, can also impair blood flow, so short term (10 to 14 days), the benefits of taking ibuprofen outweigh the risks.

The maximum dose per day of acetaminophen is 4,000milligrams (mg) or 500mg for extra-strength.  The onset of action for both medications occurs within 30 to 60 minutes and lasts approximately four to six hours.  The anti-inflammatory effect with ibuprofen can last one to two weeks, however taking these medications every six hours will result in continual pain control.