There are 3 Phases of the Healing Process:

1. Inflammatory
2. Repair
3. Remodeling

Inflammation is information.

So why would we want to prevent ourselves from receiving information? Because it can grant us the instant gratification of blocking painful signals that stop the feeling of pain.

Injuries to the musculoskeletal system come in two basic types: acute traumatic and chronic overuse.

In chronic overuse injuries, however, inflammation may not actually play a significant role, which may explain why NSAIDs in that setting, while often useful for reducing pain, are often unhelpful in actually healing the injury itself.

The main therapeutic treatment I apply to most musculoskeletal injuries, whether acute or chronic, is the simplest: rest.

NSAIDs provide two independent effects: pain relief and reduction in inflammation. However, these two benefits occur at different dosages. For example, ibuprofen can provide pain relief at just 400 mg/day but only at 1800 mg/day does it provide an anti-inflammatory effect.