Analgesic effect of intravenous pamidronate on chronic back pain due to osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

Pamidronate, a bisphosphonate analogue has been evaluated in a retrospective study for its analgesic effect on chronic back pain due to vertebral fractures in 26 patients suffering from senile osteoporosis or glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Sixty milligrams of pamidronate was administered intravenously every 3 months for one year. After three months of treatment, the pain score fell from 3.2 +/- 0.1 to 1.2 +/- 0.2 in both groups. In conclusion, intravenous pamidronate seems to be a valuable treatment for chronic back pain due to osteoporotic vertebral fractures.