[Topical therapy of acute skeletal muscle diseases. Results of a comparative study on piroxicam cream 1% versus diclofenac emulgel 1%].

An open comparative study on 75 patients with the aim to compare efficacy and safety of two non steroidal antiinflammatory drugs for topic use, piroxicam 1% cream (38 patients) and diclofenac 1% emulgel (37 patients) in the acute musculoskeletal disorders (tendinitis, distortion, muscular disorders etc.) has been carried out. Piroxicam has been administered at the dose of 0.5-1 g cream and diclofenac at the dose of 4 g emulgel, both 4 times a day for a period of 14 days. At baseline, 3rd, 7th and 14th days were evaluated: pain on movement, on pressure, function restriction, and the global evolution of symptomatology; at the end of the treatment the patient gave an evaluation on the physical characteristics of the two drugs, and the physician and the patients gave also global evaluation of efficacy and safety. The statistical analysis of the quantitative data (ANOVA and Student's t-tests) and qualitative data (Wilcoxon's test, chi 2 - and Fisher-tests) showed a significative reduction of pain on movement and of function's capacity at 3rd day, of pain on pressure and of function restriction on 7th day with both drugs with a superiority of piroxicam for some of the above mentioned parameters (7th and 14th days). Also the evaluation of the physical characteristics and the global evaluation of efficacy were more favourable for piroxicam. No adverse systemic or local reactions are reported for both drugs.