Peri-articular injection of tenoxicam for painful shoulders: a double-blind, placebo controlled trial

Eighty out-patients (50 F, 30 M), aged 58 +/- 12 years (range: 26-84) and weighing 72 +/- 10 kg (range: 50-97), presenting with an acute or subacute (< 3 months) episode of rotator cuff tendinitis without (n = 28) or with movement restriction (n = 52) of the shoulder and having a pain intensity of at least 4 on VAS for pain at rest or on active movement, were treated at random and in double blind conditions for 1 to 4 weeks with 1 weekly periarticular anterior injection of tenoxicam 20 mg or placebo. Tenoxicam treated patients improved more than placebo-injected patients in a statistically highly significant manner with regard to clinical index, pain on VAS during active movement and at rest, active mobility (degrees), pain or pressure and clinical global impression (assessed by investigator and patient). There was a nonsignificant opinion that placebo treated patients consumed more rescue medication. Safety assessments were not significantly better in the placebo-treated patients through local tolerability tended to be better in that group. These results indicate that tenoxicam 20 mg injected locally is effective in alleviating pain and in improving shoulder mobility in patients with a painful shoulder episode and suggest that such a treatment is safe and well tolerated. Local injection of tenoxicam seems to be a promising new treatment of acute, painful, local inflammatory processes in Rheumatology, Orthopaedics, Physical Medicine and Sports Medicine. Further studies in other pathologies are warranted.