It doesn't surprise me that products such as ibuprofen didn't help and in some cases made the situation worse. Just like the stronger pain medications products such as tylenol block the portion of the brain that prevents mental image pictures from being created. The theory being that if the mental image pictures can't be created than the body will not notice the affected area at the moment. Of course after a long period of time the body becomes adjusted to the drug and its ability to create mental image pictures returns along with the pain.