Use of the painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or the combination of the two are equally effective for treating pain after musculoskeletal injuries, a study shows.

“No single strategy distinguished itself as providing better analgesic than any other strategy,” Dr. Timothy H. Rainer and colleagues from the Chinese University of Hong Kong conclude in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

In the study, the investigators examined the safety and efficacy of oral paracetamol compared with oral NSAIDs such as indomethacin and diclofenac, or combination therapy in treating pain after blunt limb injury in 300 adults seen in an emergency department.

Pain scores fell significantly and similarly in all groups, the authors report. There were no significant differences among any of the treatment groups at any time, although combination therapy was the first to generate a clinically significant reduction in pain.

Both treatment strategies were safe and well tolerated. Less than 7 percent of patients experienced sides effects. None of the adverse effects were severe, and the most common were nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, and allergy.

SOURCE: Annals of Emergency Medicine November 2005.