This is always a confusion. You get an ache, and you take an anti-inflammatory medicine orally or topically, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Aceclofenac etc. Then you don't feel pain anymore. What is really happening? Is it just making the body not feel the pain for sometime or is it resolving the cause of the pain? For this question let's say it is a muscle pain or you hit your knee somewhere.
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1 Answer
Principally by making the body not feel the pain, but in some situations they actually help with the underlying cause.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen work by blocking cyclo-oxygenase enzymes that are involved in the production of the inflammatory mediators prostaglandins. Having less prostaglandins means you get less inflammation, and pain is part of the inflammatory responce so we get less pain in pretty much all situations.
In some situations the inflammation is part of the problem. Your example of muscle pain is one such. This is frequently caused by a build up of lactic acid in the muscle, and is exacerbated by reduced blood flow caused by the inflammation caused by the acidosis. Treatment with NSAIDs can reduce the inflammation, improve blood supply and therefore treat the underlying cause of the pain.
