Back/Leg Pain

[douglas393]

Actually the aspirin is more for it antiinflammatory effect, which is what is going to get you better. The analgesic effect is secondary as the antiinflammatory effect will also decrease your pain... that is why steroid work so well to decrease pain they have no significant analgesic affect but are the best antiinflammatory. Unfortunately, steroids(non anabolic) have a slew of other problems. As far as comparing aspirin to the non aspirin NSAID's, in terms of all overall safety, cost, and effectiveness aspirin in adults is probably the best. There are some disadvantages to aspirin including the need to take it more often, and it has a higher incidence of GI upset than some of othe NSAID's. The main problem with aspirin however is that is hard for a company to make a significant profit off of it for use as an antiinflammatory and so it is not advertised and thus is not used as much as it could be. Look at some of the higher priced analgesics, or analgesic creams many of them contain aspirin or aspirin derivatives.

 

[Gary F]

Actually the aspirin is more for it antiinflammatory effect, which is what is going to get you better. The analgesic effect is secondary as the antiinflammatory effect will also decrease your pain... that is why steroid work so well to decrease pain they have no significant analgesic affect but are the best antiinflammatory. Unfortunately, steroids(non anabolic) have a slew of other problems. As far as comparing aspirin to the non aspirin NSAID's, in terms of all overall safety, cost, and effectiveness aspirin in adults is probably the best. There are some disadvantages to aspirin including the need to take it more often, and it has a higher incidence of GI upset than some of othe NSAID's. The main problem with aspirin however is that is hard for a company to make a significant profit off of it for use as an antiinflammatory and so it is not advertised and thus is not used as much as it could be. Look at some of the higher priced analgesics, or analgesic creams many of them contain aspirin or aspirin derivatives.

Not an expert on NSAIDS so I can't argue with what you have posted above but I'm sure we agree that all of these drugs have the potential for significant side effects. Next time I run into our rheumatologist I'll get her opinion.

 

[AcroBoy]

Unlike the other NSAIDS, ASA has a longer lasting and more profound antiplatelet action, which is why it is good for prevention of cardiac events, but not so good regarding GI problems. This is why it isn't a first line choice as an antiinflammatory or analgesic.

However, all of the non specific COX inhibitors can cause hypertension, and increases in liver and renal functions. Likely, if aspirin were discovered today, it would be a prescription only drug.

If the OP's neck has been worked up for OA, the likelihood of an inflammatory arthritis presenting in the neck probably isn't very high. You can Google the American Rheumatology Association guidelines for diagnosis- these diagnoses are still largely clinical rather than lab based.

Assuming other potential more rare but big items have been eliminated, then has anyone discussed a course of physical therapy as a treatment option?