Dantrolene sodium in traumatic muscle contracture: double-blind clinical and pharmacological trial.

Thirty athletes with muscular contractures were enrolled in a double-blind study of dantrolene sodium and placebo to evaluate the decontracture activity and tolerance of the drug after eight days of treatment. The efficacy of the drug was assessed by studying pain at rest, during movement, and during pressure, as well as muscular tension and functional recovery. Twenty-eight patients completed the study. At the end of treatment, a decrease in pain was observed at rest (71.4% of patients treated with dantrolene and 21.4% of placebo-treated patients), during movement (78.6% and 35.7%, respectively), and during compression. The most noticeable effects were seen in the reduction of muscular tension (100% in the patients treated with dantrolene sodium and 35.7% in the placebo-treated patients) and in functional recovery (100% and 28%, respectively). In addition to the clinical study, an evaluation of the effects of dantrolene and placebo on overall performance and on the action of the respiratory system was conducted with six healthy subjects by means of basal respiratory measurement and ergospirometry before and after single-dose treatment. This study showed that dantrolene sodium is useful in the treatment of traumatic contracture, and that it does not alter an individual's overall performance. Dantrolene sodium represents a valid treatment to accompany analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and rehabilitation therapy of posttraumatic lesions in athletes.