Studies show that the use of enzymes can help to speed the healing of sports trauma, as well as helping to prevent such occurrences in the first place.

In an attempt to shorten the recovery time from common injuries the German National Hockey Team in the 90’s began taking Proteolytic Enzymes. They took capsules of Proteolytic Enzymes in addition to their usual treatments immediately after an injury or preventatively before games. 100 injuries that the athletes suffered were carefully documented and the healing process carefully and systematically monitored with regard to several criteria.

Both the physicians and the players of the German National Hockey Team observed that bruises and haematomas shrank in size faster, swelling was less severe and resolved faster, spontaneous pain, pain on mobility and pain on pressure were all lower than expected, and full mobility returned quicker. Moreover, they found that taking Proteolytic Enzymes preventatively worked better than taking it right after an injury.

back to the start > >

The first use of Proteolytic Enzymes in athletics was by the German Olympic team competing in Los Angeles. The coaches and athletes found that those who were hampered by painful bruises and swelling returned back into action faster if they were taking Proteolytic Enzymes.

The apparent ability of Proteolytic Enzymes to reduce bruising, swelling and pain while improving mobility and healing was also suggested by two studies on hockey players and skiers. Those who used the product preventatively were able to return to their sport significantly faster after an injury than those who used conventional and potentially dangerous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID5) like aspirin or ibuprofen.

The Modern Age of Enzymes

The modern age of proteolytic enzyme therapy began with the work of Max Wolf, who is also credited with writing the first textbook on the young science of endocrinology. The work of Wolf and Benitez with various enzyme combinations, from the 1930s until the 1970s, was largely empiric in nature and lacked the rigorous controls common to modern-day research. Nevertheless, they observed positive effects of enzyme therapy in people with vascular diseases, lymph edema, and certain viral infections and in the healing of injuries and inflammations. This convinced them that a deficiency of proteolytic enzymes was a primary factor in premature aging.

It was found that Enzyme Therapy:

• Reduced swelling and inflammation
• Enhanced immune function
• Reduced pain
• Improved circulation
• Accelerated recovery from traumatic injury
• Prevented serious injury
• Minimised scar formation

Proteolytic enzymes can also be helpful in cases of infection. They have proved particularly useful for treating urinary tract infections.

back to the start > >

Pain Relief

Proteolytic enzymes produce a delayed analgesic effect that appears to arise from two separate mechanisms. First, the enzymes neutralize inflammatory mediators, such as the kinins and prostaglandins, which otherwise would directly stimulate nerve pain receptors. Second, by promoting the breakdown of plasma proteins and immune complexes and by stimulating phagocytosis, as described earlier, they reduce edema that subsequently leads to a relief of pain due to fluid pressure.

Numerous clinical studies in various types of pain have confirmed the analgesic abilities of proteolytic enzymes. In a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in 25 people undergoing oral surgery, each subject underwent two different comparable procedures (left and right) on two different occasions. Without knowing which condition they were in at a given time, the participants received papain for one procedure and placebo for the other. Regression of edema and reduction in pain occurred significantly faster following papain treatment compared with placebo. Papain treatment was also associated with a shorter recovery time.

In a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study of episiotomy pain, 160 women received either bromelain or placebo following episiotomy. After 4 days of treatment, the researchers found striking reductions in pain, edema, and inflammation in the bromelain-treated women.

Clinical Effects of Proteolytic Enzymes

Scores of clinical studies of Proteolytic Enzymes (mostly various forms of Proteolytic Enzymes) have been conducted in a variety of conditions that are commonly associated with inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, surgery, fractures, sports injuries, and other injuries of the knees and ankles. Included among these are 2 double blind, placebo-controlled trials and three trials comparing enzyme therapy with conventional pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs. All but one of these 14 trials showed the enzymes to be superior to placebo or the comparative drug. The fourteenth was inconclusive due to methodological problems in the study design.

In a nutshell, enzymes are essential in sports, delivering:

• Quicker recovery, with lower associated costs.
• Quicker return to training for athletes.