what exactly does anti-inflamitory medicine do?

[SteveO]

I was given this by my doctor the last time my lower back had this sharp pain in there, he said take 200mg of celebrex a day.. I want to give it a shot on my hip to see if it would do anything, it's felt like forever since I last worked out

[a-folov]

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS, of which Celebrex is one) block the actino of the COX enzyme, which is, unsurprisingly enough, responsible for inflammation. Older generation of NSAIDs were non-selective in blocking COX; however, newer medicines are COX-2 selective blockers.

[SteveO]

I'm still not very clear of exactly what inflamation is.. I have a sharp pain that's traveling down the side of my leg, and a little up my lower back, but mainly concentrated in my hip

[a-folov]

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in·flam·ma·tion
Pronunciation: "in-fl&-'mA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : a local response to cellular injury that is marked by capillary dilatation, leukocytic infiltration, redness, heat, and pain and that serves as a mechanism initiating the elimination of noxious agents and of damaged tissue
2 : the act of inflaming : the state of being inflamed

Doesn't really sound like you have an inflammation problem (sounds more like a pinched nerve or a vertebrae out of position), but I'm not a sports-injury expert.

[SteveO]

well I guess I'll keep on giving it a shot just to see what happens, thanks for the info

[Adam Knowlden]

[ QUOTE ]
inflamation

[/ QUOTE ]

Its basically internal swelling. Usually a muscle, tendon, or joint.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

[starbells]

Just be careful, using pharmaceuticals such as those. They work in the short term, but are usually detrimental in the long term. Celebrex, in particular, was cited as CAUSING the degeneration it is touted to help (aside from all the heart disease risk-hype, as of late). This was the result of a 12 month study, of which only the first 6 months was published (required by law). The study indicated that within the first 6 months, degeneration was helped, and after that-it went downhill. No wonder they didn't choose to publish the whole study. There are other anti-inflammatory supplements out there, if you are interested.

And FYI, inflammation can happen anywhere in the body, causing the more familiar-joint pain---but also things like allergies, asthma, and even heart disease. Inflammation is nothing more than irritation at the cellular level, that causes a cascade of events that can (and will) lead to disease.