Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy after eccentric exercise in healthy older individuals

Background. Aging is associated with greater susceptibility to muscle injury and soreness after exercise. Although elderly persons regularly consume nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it is not clear that NSAIDs alleviate muscle dysfunction and/or inflammation following injurious exercise. Methods. In this double-blind crossover study, 10 men and 5 women (aged 60 +/-2 years, mean SE) consumed naproxen sodium or placebo for 10 days after performing 64 unilateral eccentric (ECC knee extensions using 75% of the ECC 1-repetition maximum. Strength was measured before, 3 days after, and 10 days after each bout. Injury and soreness were assessed using magnetic resonance images of in. quadriceps femoris (QF) and a visual analog scale. Results. Three days after exercise, concentric strength loss was greater for placebo (-32 +/-9%) than NSAID (-6 +/-8%; p = .0064). Likewise, isometric strength declined less for NSAID than placebo (-12 +/-7% vs -24 +/-4%; p = .0213), and thigh soreness while rising from a chair was greater for placebo (p less than or equal to .0393) than NSAID (43 +/-7 mm vs 26 +/-7 mm). QF cross-sectional area (cm(2)) showing elevated T-2 was 27% and 35% greater (p less than or equal to .0096) for placebo on Days 3 and 10, respectively. Conclusions. Naproxen sodium attenuated muscle injury, strength loss, and soreness following ECC exercise in older individuals and may be beneficial during the early stages of increased physical activity.