THE NATURAL COURSE OF ACUTE SCIATICA WITH NERVE ROOT SYMPTOMS IN A DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF PIROXICAM

To study the natural history of acute sciatica, 208 patients with obvi ous symptoms and signs of a lumbar radiculopathy (L5 and Sl) were exam ined within 14 days of onset. A concomitant double-blind investigation of the effect of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug piroxicam wa s performed. The results measured by visual analog scale and Roland's functional tests showed a satisfactory improvement throughout the 4 we eks of observation. The piroxicam-treated group had same results as th e control group. Based on questionnaires at months 3 and 12 approximat ely 30% of the patients still complained about back trouble and 19.5% were out of work after 1 year. Four patients underwent surgery during this period.