Effects of ibuprofen and vicoprofen® on physical performance after exercise-induced muscle damage

Objective: To determine the effects of Vicoprofen® and ibuprofen on aerobic performance, agility, and pain after exercise-induced muscle damage. Design: Double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled, repeated-dose clinical trial. Setting: Human-performance and sports-medicine laboratory. Participants: 36 healthy men. Methods and Measures: Baseline testing was performed, 72 hours after which subjects performed eccentric exercise to induce muscle damage. They were evaluated for pain 24 hours postdamage and placed randomly into 3 groups: Vicoprofen (VIC), ibuprofen, or placebo (P). Postdamage testing was performed every day for 5 days. Subjects performed an economy run and a t-agility test to determine exercise performance. Results: The drugs had no significant effect on performance throughout the 5-day evaluation period. Pain was lower at days 4 and 5 in the VIC group than in P. Conclusions: It appears that Vicoprofen reduced pain after muscle damage, but the drug interventions did not enhance performance in aerobic and agility tasks.