Associated with good pain relief for acute musculoskeletal pain primarily due to sprains, strains, and overuse injuries.
Gel formulations of the diclofenac, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen and some diclofenac patches have the largest number of cases achieving good pain relief.
Not associated with increased local skin reactions compared to placebo.
The carrier agent may however cause mild, transient irritation.
G.I. manifestations commonly seen with oral NASAIDs are infrequent with topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and can be used in patients who are intolerant to oral NSAIDs or for whom oral NSAIDs are contraindicated.