• Lars Grøvle, Eivind Hasvik, René Holst, Anders Sætre, Jens Ivar Brox, Ståle Mathiassen, Kjersti Myhre, Thor Einar Holmgard, and Anne Julsrud Haugen.
• Department of Rheumatology, Østfold Hospital Trust, Grålum, Norway.
• Pain. 2024 Nov 1; 165 (11): 260626142606-2614.

AbstractThis trial assessed the efficacy of naproxen in patients with sciatica in outpatient clinics across 4 Norwegian hospitals. A total of 123 adults with radiating pain below the knee (≥4 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale) and signs consistent with nerve root involvement were included. Participants were randomized to receive either naproxen 500 mg or a placebo twice daily for 10 days. The primary outcome, daily leg pain intensity measured on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale throughout the treatment period, revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of naproxen, with an adjusted mean difference of -0.5 (95% CI -0.8 to -0.1, P = 0.015). In the naproxen group, the treatment effect was significantly related to time, and over the whole 10-day period, the average adjusted difference was -0.6 (95% CI -0.8 to -0.5). Mean numbers needed to treat for 30% and 50% improvement were 9.9 (95% CI 4.7-15.0) and 20.7 (8.7-32.7), respectively. The adjusted mean difference for back pain was -0.4 (95% CI -0.8 to 0.0), and for Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire for Sciatica, it was -1.5 (95% CI -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 adjusted odds ratio of 4.7 (95% CI 1.3-16.2) for improvement by 1 level on the global perceived change scale. In conclusion, naproxen treatment showed small, likely clinically unimportant benefits compared with placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe sciatica.Copyright © 2024 International Association for the Study of Pain.

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