Intramuscular Thiocolchicoside-Diclofenac vs. Diclofenac Monotherapy for Low Back Pain .
A randomized controlled trial evaluating the short-term efficacy of a single-administration intramuscular injection with the fixed combination of thiocolchicoside-diclofenac versus diclofenac monotherapy in patients with acute moderate-to-severe low back
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023 Jun 10;24(1): 476.One hundred and thirty-four patients with moderate-severe, acute low back pain were randomized to receive a single intramuscular injection of diclofenac-thiocolchicoside (n=68) or diclofenac only (n=66). The primary outcome of interest was the mean change in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score from baseline to 3 hours. Secondary outcomes of interest include the percentage of patients showing a >30% reduction in pain intensity, muscle spasm improvement (assessed via finger-to-floor distance), and the incidence of adverse events. VAS pain scores were significantly lower in the combination group vs. the diclofenac-only group at 1 and 3 hours post-treatment. Moreover, finger-to-floor distance and the proportion of patients with a >30% improvement in VAS pain scores were significantly better in the combination group. No adverse events were reported in the combination group, while 2 cases of dizziness were reported in the diclofenac-only group. This suggests that combining diclofenac with thiocolchicoside can safely and effectively reduce pain for patients with acute, moderate-severe low back pain, more so than diclofenac only.
Unlock the Full ACE Report
You have access to 4 more FREE articles this month.
Click below to unlock and view this ACE Reports
Unlock Now
Critical appraisals of the latest, high-impact randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in orthopaedics
Access to OrthoEvidence podcast content, including collaborations with the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, interviews with internationally recognized surgeons, and roundtable discussions on orthopaedic news and topics
Subscription to The Pulse, a twice-weekly evidence-based newsletter designed to help you make better clinical decisions
Exclusive access to original content articles, including in-house systematic reviews, and articles on health research methods and hot orthopaedic topics