Are anti-inflammatories good for bone healing? The nuanced evidence on NSAIDs
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6 min read
According to a 2021 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, patients taking NSAIDs for a long duration (more than two weeks) following a fracture were found to have a significantly higher rate of nonunion compared to a control group, raising serious questions about whether anti-inflammatories are good for bone healing. This finding highlights a critical dilemma in post-injury care: balancing effective pain management with the risk of interfering with the natural healing process.