TOPICAL KETOPROFEN PATCH (100 MG) FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANKLE SPRAIN. a RANDOMISED, DOUBLE BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED STUDY

Professor Martin P Schwellnus, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Background: The use of a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to treat soft tissue injuries in athletes may be advantageous because it may reduce the risk of side effects; however, their efficacy needs to be established.

Research question/s: Does the application of a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (100 mg patch of ketoprofen) applied once a day for 7 days, reduce pain in patients with an acute ankle sprain?

Methodology:Subjects: 163 patients with an acute ankle sprain (grade I or II).

Experimental procedure: Subjects suffering from a painful (pain >50 mm on a 0–100 mm VAS), recent (<2 days) ankle sprain were randomised into two treatment groups: (1) a ketoprofen group (100 mg topical patch 1/day for 7 days, KETO =  81, and 2) a placebo group, CON = 82). Patients were followed on days 0, 3 or 4, 7, and 14

Measures of outcome: Pain (on VAS 0–100) in the past 24 hrs, pain on active motion, a disability rating (0–4) and ankle swelling (circumference at malleolar level), rescue medication use, adverse events.

Main finding/s::

• There was significantly less disability, greater total pain relief, less ankle swelling in the KETO compared …