Oral administration of morphine versus ibuprofen to manage postfracture pain in children: a randomized trial

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183 paediatric patients with an extremity fracture not requiring surgery were randomized to analgesia through either oral morphine or ibuprofen. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether oral morphine was more effective than ibuprofen for pain management over the first 24 hours after administration. Over 70% of children experienced severe enough pain to warrant taking the allocated medication. Although both oral morphine and ibuprofen improved pain scores, results demonstrated no significant difference between groups. Oral morphine was associated with a significantly greater rate of adverse effects, particularly nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.