Comparison of tenoxicam by intramuscular injection or wound infiltration for analgesia after inguinal herniorrhaphy.

We compared wound infiltration with small-dose tenoxicam (7.5 mg) to intramuscular (IM) administration of the same dose to treat pain after herniorrhaphy. In a randomized, double-blind study, 50 patients received either preoperative wound infiltration with tenoxicam, 7.5 mg in 40 mL of 0.9% saline (WI group; n = 25) or IM tenoxicam 7.5 mg (IM group; n = 25). In each group a saline placebo of equal volume was given by the alternate route, i.e., those who received wound infiltration with tenoxicam received 0.75 mL of 0.9% saline IM; those who received IM tenoxicam received 40 mL of 0.9% saline for wound infiltration. Postoperative pain was assessed with a verbal pain scale and a visual analog scale (VAS) at rest and during movement and cough, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 h postoperatively. Wound tenderness was assessed with an electronic algometer preoperatively, and 2, 4, and 6 h postoperatively. The need for supplementary analgesics (acetaminophen and morphine) was registered. No differences were observed between groups in VAS pain scores, verbal rating pain scores, pain pressure thresholds, or in need for supplementary analgesics. We conclude that tenoxicam 7.5 mg has no local analgesic effect on postoperative pain after herniorrhaphy.