The Study
Skeletal muscle adaptation to immobilization and subsequent retraining in elderly men: No effect of anti-inflammatory medication.
This study shows what happened to leg strength and muscle size in older men after being inactive for two weeks and then doing exercises to recover. It compares those who took ibuprofen to those who didn’t, but we can’t be sure if the medicine really made a difference because the study details aren’t fully clear.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Older men wore a leg cast for 2 weeks, making their leg muscles smaller and weaker. Then they exercised and drank protein. Their muscles got back to normal in 2 weeks and got even stronger after 6 weeks. Taking ibuprofen didn’t change how muscles recovered.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 546 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this shows that older adults can regain lost muscle quickly with exercise and protein, and that common painkillers like ibuprofen don’t help or hurt muscle recovery.
- 2Muscle loss after 2 weeks in a cast.
- 3Full recovery in 2 weeks with exercise + protein.
- 4Bigger gains after 6 weeks.
- 5Ibuprofen (1200mg/day) made no difference.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Experimental gerontology
Year
2016
Authors
K. Dideriksen, A. Boesen, J. Kristiansen, S. Magnusson, P. Schjerling, L. Holm, Michael Kjaer
Related Content
Claims (4)
When you lift weights, your muscles get a little damaged and inflamed — and that’s actually a good thing. This inflammation helps your muscles heal and get stronger, and usually your body can handle the recovery just fine on its own.
After older guys rest their legs for a bit, getting back to strength training with extra protein might help their leg muscles grow back stronger than before they took the break.
Older guys getting back into exercise after leg inactivity don’t seem to gain or lose muscle strength or size from taking ibuprofen every day, even if they’re also drinking protein shakes.
If older guys between 60 and 80 don’t use their legs for two weeks, they lose leg muscle and strength—but just two weeks of exercise plus drinking protein twice a day can bring it all back.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.