No difference in efficacy of opioids and non-opioid analgesics for arm or leg pain

Patients with sprains or fractures appear to get as much pain relief with a combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol as with opioid medications, a study in JAMA concludes.1 The authors say that prescribing non-opioid analgesics first line in emergency departments may help combat the current opioid epidemic in the US.

The double blind randomised clinical trial was conducted at two urban emergency departments in New York. Researchers randomly assigned 416 patients presenting with moderate to …