The article by Taylor et al provided very limited data comparing use of analgesics and rates of nonunion.1 It is pretty drastic to conclude that “patients should not be denied NSAIDs [nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] for short-term pain relief.”1 In terms of fracture healing there is evidence in rodent studies that NSAIDs can slow healing.2–4 A review article by Boursinos et al advised caution in using NSAIDs in patients with fractures.5 As inflammation is the first step in the healing process, and given the range of choice of analgesics, there is no particular reason to recommend NSAIDs after a fracture.
Footnotes
Competing interests
None declared
References
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