Effects of Vicoprofen® and ibuprofen on anaerobic performance after muscle damage

Objective: To determine the effects of Vicoprofen®, ibuprofen, and placebo on anaerobic performance and pain relief after resistance-exercise-induced muscle damage. Design: Randomized, controlled clinical study. Setting: University human-performance/ sports-medicine laboratory. Participants: 36 healthy men. Methods and Measures: After baseline testing (72 h), participants performed an eccentric-exercise protocol. Each was evaluated for pain 24 h later and randomly assigned to a Vicoprofen (VIC), ibuprofen (IBU), or placebo (P) group. Postexercise testing was performed every 24 h for 4 d. Results: Significantly greater muscle force, power, and total work were observed in VIC than in P (P<.05) for most time points and for IBU at 48 h. Conclusions: Anaerobic performance is enhanced with VIC, especially within the first 24 h after significant muscle-tissue damage. The greater performances observed at 48 h might be a result of less damage at this time point with VIC treatment.