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. 2015 Jun 15;2015(6):CD007402. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007402.pub3

Russell 1991.

Methods R, DB, PC, parallel groups
Affected area washed with soap and water and dried, then gel applied and carefully rubbed into skin, 4 times daily for at least 7 days
Assessed at baseline, 4, 8, 15 (if necessary) days at clinic, and daily patient diary
Participants Acute soft tissue injuries (recent, not recurrent)
N = 214 (200 analysed)
M 95, F 105
Mean age 40 years
Baseline pain > 65 mm
Interventions Piroxicam gel 0.5%, 4 x 5 mg daily, n = 100
Placebo gel, n = 100
No other NSAIDs or analgesic drugs, including liniments containing salicylates, allowed. Ancillary therapy at the discretion of the investigator
Outcomes PGE: 4‐point scale (responder = "good" and "excellent")
Spontaneous pain: mean reduction
Adverse events
Withdrawals
Notes Oxford Quality Score: R2, DB2, W1. Total = 5/5
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Low risk "computer generated randomization code"
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk Not described
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) 
 All outcomes Low risk "identical base formulation"
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) 
 All outcomes High risk High withdrawal rate (8% with piroxicam, 50% with placebo). No information about imputation
Size Unclear risk 50 to 100 participants per treatment group