Ketoprofen 2.5% gel versus placebo gel in the treatment of acute soft tissue injuries.

A parallel, double-blind, placebo controlled and randomized study in a single center was done with ketoprofen 2.5% gel to treat acute soft tissue injuries. Patients applied the gel twice a day for seven days, corresponding to 250 mg of ketoprofen per day. Assessments were made on the third and seventh day by VAS, subjective evaluation and pain threshold algometry. The study group consisted of 29 patients and the control group 27 patients. Pain at rest was significantly relieved in the ketoprofen group, whereas in the placebo group the difference was not significant. In terms of side-effects, no difference between the groups was noticed. In both groups, local dermal irritation was found. Our results suggested that ketoprofen 2.5% gel was safe and superior to placebo in the treatment of soft tissue injuries.