Just bought Dr. Andy Pritkin's book and it's extremely informative. For most of the knee ailments he recommends, among other things, NSAIDs (ibuprofen), but he doesn't say when to take them.

Should they be taken before, after or during a ride?

Thank you.

You must be reading that wrong. For general muscle soreness NSAIDs work fine. If there is something anatomically wrong with your knee then NSAIDs serve to reduce inflammation. This reduction in inflammation may be just enough so stuff doesn't rub the wrong way. If you have tendinitis then a heavy course of NSAIDs over a couple weeks may help. I know it has helped me. The problem is unless you know exactly what is wrong you may be doing yourself more harm than good.

Not familiar with that book, but I'd recommend laying off of the aggravating activity while on the anti-inflammatory dose. The effective anti-inflammatory dose of ibuprofen is about 800 mg, which is generally ok to do, but only for a short time (definitely under a week). I'm not saying you should start eating ibuprofen; I'm just saying that that's about what's typically prescribed for inflammation.

Taking a lesser dose and continuing to ride just masks the underlying problem while you do more damage. Better to heal up and figure out what's wrong. Taking NSAIDs long-term probably isn't a good idea, and definitely shouldn't done at an anti-inflammatory dose.

Of course, if you know you have knee arthritis, for example, and taking a small dose lets you continue being active, that may be another question. I'd probably see what drug the doc would give me, and let him do the deciding, though.

BTW, I always hated those commercials for aspirin or ibuprofen or whatever, which showed a middle-aged guy running and having pain. The message of the commercial was basically "pain during exercise? take drugs and keep going!" Seriously! Pain = something is wrong. If you don't know what's wrong, find out and fix it. if you know something is wrong, but can't/won't fix it, stop freaking running on it! I personally try to steer my clients away from distance running, generally. The exception would be if they are experienced and have no known joint/gait problems. Middle-aged joints, a couple dozen extra pounds, and poor gait mechanics all add up to injury when someone decides to suddenly get off the couch and start running. But now I'm getting off-topic...

I also wouldn't suggest taking anything right before or during an activity. If there is an underlying problem causing the pain, it definitely isn't going to resolve itself without rest.

Also, ibuprofen, and most other NSAID's can be hard on the kidneys and body if you do not have plenty of water - more than typical. This would be hard to regulate during a workout.

Just take it easy and recover.

I can offer advice based on my experience. Normally, NSAIDs are contraindicated. Ibuprofen is an anti-prostaglandin. Prostaglandin hormones, among many functions, regulate inflammatory mediation. IOW, they are a part of your body's natural processes. Inflammation aids in healing damaged or stressed tissues. NSAIDs can prevent these helpful hormones from doing their job, thus making things worse in the long run.

OTOH, sometimes swelling causes tissues to rub on each other during activity, a tendon in a tendon sheath for example. In these cases, where inactivity is not an option and any activity, even walking, makes the problem worse, NSAIDs have an important place. I have often taken NSAIDs for what would have been a ride-stopping inflammation and finished in fine style with no further problems or long term effects. I once did a 10 day backpack with a torn meniscus. Only ibuprofen got me through it. My rule is: if I'm going to be OK without it, I don't take it. I never take it as a prophylactic. I do take it when I need to do something to prevent a bummer outcome. Worst case, I start with 3 ea. 200mg. ibuprofen and take another 200mg every two hours for the duration of the activity. If you have to keep going, keeping going without the ibuprofen is worse for you than keeping going with the ibuprofen.

The above advice of laying off the activity while taking an NSAID is good advice, but frequently impossible. This is a bike forum. I have biker friends with ruined knees and/or ankles. Many bikers are broken runners. They can't ride at all without ibuprofen, so they take it before and during, in about the quantities I mention above. Riding with ibuprofen is far better than not riding at all.

More important than ibuprofen is keeping a high cadence/low pedal effort.

I have the best advice.

Stop seeking medical advice from people who read Wikipedia before they answer your questions, and go find someone who has a medical degree and an insatiable hunger for your money.

Your response makes every answer on every BF thread moot. Obviously I'm not going to take advice from someone who is simply guessing.

I asked on the TRAINING AND NUTRITION FORUM hoping that a knowledgable trainer or people with real experience would answer.

I only write from my personal experience and the experience of co-riders, though I try to include the science to show why such experience might be valid. bluefoxicy was very sharp to see that I did include a phrase from a wiki. I try to use correct terminology, and frequently look up things to be certain that my usage and spelling is correct. I think that's a good thing.