Photo Credit: Nathan Devery

The following is a summary of “Efficacy of naproxen in patients with sciatica: multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Grøvle et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study evaluating the effectiveness of naproxen for treating patients with sciatica attending outpatient clinics at four Norwegian hospitals.

They included 123 adults with radiating leg pain (≥4 on a 0-10 scale) and nerve root involvement and assigned them naproxen 500 mg or a placebo twice daily for 10 days.

The results showed a notable change in daily leg pain intensity (measured on a scale of 0 to 10) favoring naproxen, with an adjusted MD of −0.5 (-0.8 to -0.1, P=0.015). In the naproxen group, the treatment effect varied significantly over time, with an average adjusted difference of −0.6 (-0.8 to -0.5) over 10 days. The mean numbers needed to treat for 30% and 50% improvement were 9.9 (4.7-15.0) and 20.7 (8.7-32.7), respectively. The adjusted MD for back pain was −0.4 (-0.8 to 0.0), and for the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire for Sciatica, it was −1.5 (-3.0 to 0.0). No differences were found for sciatica bothersomeness or consumption of rescue medication or opioids. Participants in the naproxen group exhibited an aOR of 4.7 (1.3-16.2) for improvement by 1 level on the global perceived change scale.

Investigators found naproxen provided minimal, likely insignificant pain relief compared to placebo for patients with moderate-to-severe sciatica.

Source: journals.lww.com/pain/abstract/9900/efficacy_of_naproxen_in_patients_with_sciatica_.621.aspx