Efficacy of triamcinolone injection with or without oral meloxicam for treatment of anserine syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial

Objectives. To compare the effectiveness and safety of oral meloxicam after triamcinolone acetonide injection alone for treatment of the anserine syndrome. Methods. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 64 patients with anserine syndrome given an injection of 20 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. The patients were randomly separated into two groups: Group A received oral meloxicam for 7 days (n = 32) and Group B received placebo tablets for 7 days (n = 32). At three weeks after the injection, primary outcomes (patient’s symptoms, physical signs and pain visual analog scale) and adverse reactions were assessed by an independent, blinded evaluator. Results. The success rates were 50% and 40.6% for Groups A and B, respectively. No significant difference of the success rates between the two groups was observed (p = 0.62). Common adverse reactions were found to be pain after the injection and dyspepsia. Conclusions. Injection of triamcinolone acetonide seems to be sufficient and safe to treat the anserine syndrome. The adding of oral meloxicam, and perhaps other NSAIDs, does not improve the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of the anserine syndrome.