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There are a number of articles regarding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) having a negative effect on healing conditions like tendonosis and tendinitis. From what I understand the channel through which they reduce inflammation disrupts healing. In general, many of them constrict vessels, thus reducing bloodflow even further to tendons. Are there other reasons, or interactions they can have with cells that may also disrupt healing?

Are there advantages of using NSAIDs to promote healing?

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I would suggest you contact your doctor if you are suffering from tendinitis.

NSAIDs are often used as part of treament for tendinitis, but like all medications they can have side effects. Therefore again if you have concerns about taking NSAIDs contact your doctor.

As for the mechinism of action of NSAIDs they don't constrict vessels but instead reduce the production of inflammatory mediators (prostoglandins) which act to dilate some vessels. These inflammatory mediators also make blood vessels more permeable so that nutrients and cells from the blood can pass through the vessel walls and carry out repairs to damage tissue. The problem however with the bodies inflammatory response is that it can be too severe, so that rather than providing healing it itself can cause damage and pain. For this reason (and many others) NSAIDs may be useful.

But again if you have concerns about taking NSAIDs or any medical condition these please consult your doctor. The internet is not an appropriate place for medical advice, your doctor is.

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  • $\begingroup$ "But again if you have concerns about taking NSAIDs or any medical condition these please consult your doctor. The internet is not an appropriate place for medical advice, your doctor is." -> the internet is a perfectly fine place for medical advice and can be a great source of information in addition to a 15-minute appointment with a physician. $\endgroup$
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Jun 16, 2019 at 5:25
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As far as I know there is no clear scientific evidence on whether and at which stage of a tendon injury one should use NSAID. Here is the conclusion of a systematic review from Cochrane {1}:

There remains limited evidence from which to draw firm conclusions about the benefits or harms of topical or oral NSAIDs in treating lateral elbow pain. Although data from five placebo-controlled trials suggest that topical NSAIDs may be beneficial in improving pain (for up to 4 weeks), non-normal distribution of data and other methodological issues precluded firm conclusions. Some people may expect a mild transient skin rash. Evidence about the benefits of oral NSAIDs has been conflicting, although oral NSAID use may result in gastrointestinal adverse effects in some people. No direct comparisons between oral and topical NSAIDs were available. Some trials demonstrated greater benefit from glucocorticoid injection than from NSAIDs in the short term, but this was not apparent in all studies and was not apparent by 6 months in the only study that included longer-term outcomes.

Some papers argue that the inflammation has a positive action on the tendon repair whereas some other papers claim the contrary. Given the current state of tendon injury research, it's not even clear how much inflammation happens during a tendinopathy {2,3,5}. From {4}:

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FYI:

References:

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