Pain killers or not ?

ilovegrace

I am doing my second Sportive at the weekend, and first time riding 88 miles.
Training has gone well 150 plus per week since last autumn so should be Ok there , my main concern is a long standing back problem.
The back can flare up mid ride and become very uncomfortable , my question is , should i take a couple of Ibroprofen pre ride and risk the side effects , upset stomach etc or tough it out and see what happens ?
Or , take a couple with me and take them if it flares up ?
thanks in advance of any replies.
regards
ILG

earthvspace4XTuUWcX

I assume you have taken Ibuprofen before without side effects, if so then take them before, you are unlikely to suffer side effects if you have not had any previously. Probably no point taken them on the ride if/when you get back pain because they probably won act fast enough. Alternately take paracetamol before the ride, no significant side effects with those.

de_sisti

Surely you should be seeking proper medical advice from qualified physicians or Doctors? :roll:

damocles10

De Sisti wrote:

Surely you should be seeking proper medical advice from qualified physicians or Doctors? :roll:

I agree with this....pain is there for a reason. You could make the situation worse by masking it.

Tiesetrotter

Do both. Pain is often inflammation and often inflammation is just age or something very simple.

ilovegrace

Thanks chaps.
My back pain stems from a long standing (over 20 years) disc problem . nothing much the docs can do but advise rest and if cycling hurts don't cycle etc.
So, I like a lot of others, manage the pain the best I can.
I have used Iboprufen before and do suffer the odd side effect , I may take the Paracetemol plan if they are a little more kind on the stomach.
To be honest I very seldom use painkillers and manage the problem with stretching etc but I am a little anxious about 5 plus hours in the saddle .I know it will be hard enough without the nagging toothache like lower back pain.
Keep em coming
regards
ILFG

Bozman

I use codeine when my back plays up and it works a treat and if anything it improves my performance.

de_sisti

I have back problems too (L5/S1 discs). The problems only arise when climbing. I (almost completely) solved
the pain by doing regular stretches (every day) of my glutes and hamstrings. Try it. It may work for you.

dilatory

Taylor Phinney will not be impressed!

wavefront

ilovegrace wrote:

I have used Iboprufen before and do suffer the odd side effect , I may take the Paracetemol plan if they are a little more kind on the stomach.

Please, if you do take Ibuprofen, remember to take it with food, or milk. It's not a good drug to take on it's own, as it is quite harsh on the stomach. But Ibuprofen is a very good anti inflamitory drug so if the pain stems from inflamation it could be a good choice. But like others have said, go check with a doc first.

Good luck with the sportive!

inigopete

I am not a doctor. However I've had advice from a few on this issue...

It's not a good idea to take ibuprofen prophylactically (i.e. before a race), because it can mask the pain that tells you that something's wrong and you should stop doing whatever you're doing. If something's wrong, you need to know, because pain is your body telling you that damage is happening.

It's a good idea to take ibuprofen as a painkiller and anti-inflammatory AFTER exercise, and the better news is that you can take it as well as paracetamol if you need a lot of pain relief - they're different families of drugs so are processed differently (ibuprofen and aspirin are similarly metabolised - in other words you can take ibuprofen and paracetamol together, or aspirin and paracetamol together, but NOT ibuprofen and aspirin together).

If in doubt, google "should I take ibuprofen before a race". More medically-qualified people than me will tell you it's a bad idea. But good luck with the sportive!

FatTed

Get off your saddle every half hour and stretch a little, take the drugs when it hurts, both paracetamol and Ibuprofen, then at least you will trick yourself into believing you can carry on whilst you wait for the drugs to work.
After your sportive find a bike fitter you can go back to often, he/she maybe able to get you more sorted for your back.

de_sisti

FatTed wrote:

After your sportive find a bike fitter you can go back to often, he/she maybe able to get you more sorted for your back.

:shock: :shock: :shock:
I take it you mean that they double up as medical professionals?

GGBiker

Ibuprofen and potential dehydration on a long sportive is a bad combination, there is risk you could injure your kidneys doing this. Ibuprofen can also exacerbate asthma in those who suffer it.

Paracetamol is the better option, no significant side effects in the main, I occasionally take 2 for a long ride.

The best advice is mentioned in a post above, stretching exercises on the bike every 30 minutes and do a little out of the saddle pedalling occasionally.

de_sisti

GGBiker wrote:

Ibuprofen can also exacerbate asthma in those who suffer it.

You're not kidding! I suffered horribly on the 2009 Marmotte after having taken Ibuprofen for my back pain.
During the ride once my heart rate went above 135 it felt as if someone was standing on my chest. Suffice to say,
I finished in a very slow time.

Joeblack

I would just get some heat pads and if it flares up stick a couple of them on the affected area, then take pain killers after, perhaps if you're going to be in that much pain you shouldn't ride?

ilovegrace

Well that was interesting !!
Took a couple of paracetamol but was in pain on and of especially when pushing on the pedals.
Mind you I was swinging along very well when there was a bit of confusion with the signage a chap told me to go "straight" on 2-3 miles later no sings of the signs and no sings of any other riders !
Had to double back and get back on course.
Ended up riding 93 instead of 88 miles !!
Thanks for all of your input chaps
regards
ILG