There was neither significant difference in the maximum performance between NSAIDs and control groups nor in the time until exhaustion nor in self-perceived pain .
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) are medications that are frequently used by athletes .
There may also be some abuse of these substances , although it is unclear whether NSAIDs in fact enhance performance .
We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to evaluate the effect of NSAIDs on sport performance indices .
The COX-2 specific inhibitor Valdecoxib versus tramadol in acute ankle sprain: a multicenter randomized, controlled trial.
BACKGROUND The cyclooxygenase-2 specific inhibitor valdecoxib has not been approved in the United States for treatment of acute pain .  HYPOTHESIS Valdecoxib 20 mg twice daily or once daily ( both with a 40-mg loading dose ) is not clinical ly inferior to tramadol for treating the signs and symptoms of acute ankle pain . STUDY DESIGN R and omized , controlled clinical trial ; Level of evidence , 1 . METHODS Patients ( N = 829 ) with acute first- or second-degree ankle sprain received 7 days ' treatment with valdecoxib 20 mg either twice daily or once daily ( both with 40-mg loading dose ) , tramadol 50 mg 4 times daily , or placebo . The primary end point was Patient 's Assessment of Ankle Pain visual analog scale on day 4 ; a test of noninferiority compared valdecoxib with tramadol . RESULTS On day 4 , both valdecoxib doses were significantly better versus placebo and were comparable with tramadol in relieving ankle pain . On day 7 , valdecoxib , but not tramadol , significantly reduced pain versus placebo . On days 4 and 7 , more patients resumed normal walking with valdecoxib ( 45%-47 % and 73%-79 % , respectively ) than with placebo ( 35 % and 64 % , respectively ) or tramadol ( 38 % and 67 % , respectively ) . In contrast to valdecoxib , the number of withdrawals due to adverse events was significantly higher in the tramadol group ( 12.2 % vs 3.4 % ; P = .0005 ) . CONCLUSIONS Valdecoxib was comparable with tramadol and was significantly better than placebo in treating acute ankle sprain , and it enabled more patients to resume normal walking on days 4 and 7 . Both valdecoxib and tramadol were well tolerated
There was neither significant difference in the maximum performance between NSAIDs and control groups nor in the time until exhaustion nor in self-perceived pain .
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) are medications that are frequently used by athletes .
There may also be some abuse of these substances , although it is unclear whether NSAIDs in fact enhance performance .
We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to evaluate the effect of NSAIDs on sport performance indices .