Effect of Methocarbamol on Acute Pain After Traumatic Injury

There is interest in the use of methocarbamol as an adjunctive agent for pain control after traumatic injury. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effect of methocarbamol on pain measurements after acute injury. This was a retrospective, matched cohort study conducted at an academic medical center in the United States. Consecutive adult (age ≥18 years) patients who were admitted to the hospital between June 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013 because of a traumatic injury were evaluated. Patient cases receiving methocarbamol for at least 3 days were matched to controls that did not receive methocarbamol based on age, sex, and injury severity. The primary outcome measures of pain scores were assessed on numerical rating scale from 0 to 10 (0 = no pain; 10 = worst possible pain) and conducted during routine patient care. A total of 200 patients were included in the final cohort (100 in each group). In the overall cohort, the mean age was 49 ± 22 years, 67% were men, and mean International Classification of Disease-derived Injury Severity Score was 0.8 ± 0.1 in both groups. There was no significant association between methocarbamol use and mean pain score on day 1 [coefficient 0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.57 to 0.75, P = 0.782, model R = 0.43], day 2 (coefficient 0.47, 95% CI, -0.15 to 1.09, P = 0.140, model R = 0.42), or day 3 (coefficient 0.51, 95% CI, -0.13 to 1.16, P = 0.117, model R = 0.42) after injury. Methocarbamol did not improve pain control after traumatic injury during the first 3 days of hospitalization.