1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Ankle Problems

NSAIDS for pain

Posted , 4 users are following.

tom92172
tom92172

Just want to put this out there because I notice a lot of folks in here are taking advil, motrin, ibuprofin, alleve, Naproxin, etc for pain. While I was told I could alternate advil with norco post op for the worst of the pain following surgery, my doctor was pretty stern when he told me to stop taking these medications for pain ASAP.

You will find mixed results when searching the topic but there is plenty of research to suggest these pain killers can significantly delay bone healing. Enough so that I was scared off and resorted to Tylenol despite my reservations about kidney and liver damage potential.

At this point (6 weeks post op) Ive been completely off Tylenol and Norco for several weeks. CBD oil has saved me at night when discomfort is the worst. As usual, ask your doctor, this is just a PSA of what I was told.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Tigercry
    Tigercry tom92172

    Posted

    How bad was your break? Because while it may be easy for you to get off meds of any kind; I had a high impact break of a complete multi-fracture break of the ankle two years ago and unfortunately I still have to use nerve pain meds and topical anti-inflammatory due to the injury.

    The meds you take and the amount of pain you experience change depending on the person, severity of the injury, and other medical issues. 😃

    • tom92172
      tom92172 Tigercry

      Posted

      I had a spiral fracture of my fibula which required a plate with 7 screws and two syndesmosis tightropes to stabilize the ankle.

      I do feel fortunate to be through what I hope is the worst of the pain . Im probably a 1-3 these days on pain.

      I think the lesson here is to stay with tylenol or your stronger opioid based pain killers for at least 10-12 weeks for bone healing. After that i think its fine.

  • Manda089
    Manda089 tom92172

    Posted

    I was told the same thing about those class of meds and was instructed to only take Tylenol for pain post-op, alternating with the Hydrocodone they prescribed me.

  • rose71920
    rose71920 tom92172

    Posted

    I was told that especially Advil would or COULD hinder healing of the bones. You are very lucky indeed to have only gotten away with taking a few Tylenol. I was one of the unlucky ones who took all the meds prescribed and then some. But! Everyone is different .

    My surgeon said there are studies on this info. Some go by it and others don't. Depends on your doc.

    Best of luck to you ! 😃

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.