Intravenous dexketoprofen versus paracetamol in non-traumatic musculoskeletal pain in the emergency department: A randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Although acute musculoskeletal pain has a wide range of causes from tendinitis, muscle spasm, to bone and joint injuries, it is a frequent occurrence in emergency services. Paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics (NSAID) are common used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. This study sets out to compare the effectiveness of intravenous dexketoprofen and paracetamol in musculoskeletal pain relief.

METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double blind, controlled study was carried out in a university emergency room. The participating patients were randomized into two groups to receive either 50 mg of dexketoprofen or 1000 mg of paracetamol intravenously by rapid infusion in 150 ml of normal saline. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Numeric Rating Scala (NRS) was employed for pain measurement at baseline, after 15, after 30 and after 60 mins.

RESULTS: 200 patients were included in the study, excluding 7342 of them. The mean age of the patients was calculated as 32,6. Paracetamol and dexketoprofen intervention decreases NRS pain scores over time. When compared to all pain locations, the NRS pain score of the patients was found to be statistically more effective in dexketoprofen than in paracetamol (p = 0.001). Paracetamol and dexketoprofen intervention reduces pain VAS scores over time. When the VAS pain score of the patients was compared to all pain locations, dexketoprofen was found to be statistically more effective than paracetamol (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Intravenous dexketoprofen seemed to achieve superior analgesia to intravenous paracetamol when compared with all pain locations in patients with non-traumatic musculoskeletal pain.