Repair begins during the active phase of inflammation but reaches completion usually after the injurious influence has been neutralized. Destroyed cells and tissues are replaced by vital cells, sometimes by regrowth of the native parenchymal cells but more often by filling the defect with less specialized fibroblastic scar-forming tissue. Clearly, inflammation is a vital part of the healing process. If the process of inflammation is not successful in achieving its goals when there is a soft tissue injury, the body will fail to eliminate the tissue cells that were destroyed in the injury. Furthermore, the body will fail to set into motion the complex series of events which heals and reconstitutes the damaged tissue.
Inflammation is characterized by local clinical signs of heat, redness, swelling and pain.
These signs can be reduced through the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. Short-term symptom relief is thereby achieved. But in the process of achieving such relief the inflammatory process is partially or completely crippled. As a consequence, the damaged tissue may never heal in a normal manner. It may be advisable to avoid the use of anti-inflammatory drugs whenever possible.