Effects of Eperisone Hydrochloride and Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) for Acute Non-Specific Back Pain with Muscle Spasm: A Prospective, Open-Label Study

Low back pain (LBP) occurs as a common condition and may harm the patient's quality-of-life. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and eperisone form a drug regiment that has been reported as effective in improving low back pain, yet the evidence for its efficacy and safety is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eperisone hydrochloride and ibuprofen compared with ibuprofen alone in reducing symptoms of patients with acute non-specific back pain with a muscle spasm. This was an open-label, prospective study involving 100 subjects with symptoms of back pain and muscle spasm. Eligible participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (54 patients) and a control group (46 patients). The experimental group received eperisone 50 mg three times daily + ibuprofen 400 mg twice daily, and the control group received ibuprofen 400 mg twice daily over a 4-week duration. The primary outcomes were measured with the visual analog scale (VAS), and finger-to-floor (FTF) distance at baseline, week 2, and week 4. After 4 weeks of follow-up, results from 59 subjects were collected. In both groups, VAS and FTF were decreased compared to baseline. Clinically significant pain reduction (>50% than baseline) was observed to be higher in the experimental group compared with the control group in the fourth week (72.4% vs 46.7%,