Celecoxib, NSAIDs and the skeleton.

Treating acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain is essential for improving healing of traumatic injuries and surgical procedures, and for improving patient quality of life. Physicians are limited primarily to treating musculoskeletal pain with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase type 2 (COX-2)-selective NSAIDs such as celecoxib, or narcotics. Patients often treat their pain with over-the-counter NSAIDs.