University Michigan State UniversityA new study suggests taking anti-inflammatory drugs after surgery may be backfiring and that blocking inflammation during this critical time may, in fact, delay recovery and prolong pain rather than relieve it. “Instead, blocking inflammation increased pain in the long run. They expected that blocking TNF-α would reduce pain, but the opposite happened: The mice stayed in pain for much longer. But the other 10% develop chronic pain, Laumet says. There are many different molecules in the body involved in inflammation, pain, and healing.