Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat a variety of conditions that involve pain and inflammation, including:

• Arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout (if recommended by a physician), pseudogout, psoriatic arthritis, Reiter’s syndrome and juvenile arthritis
  
  
• Muscle sprains and strains
  
  
• Minor injuries and trauma pain
  
  
• Illnesses that cause a fever
  
  
• Headaches, including tension headaches and migraines
  
  
• Some types of eye pain and ear pain
  
  
• Toothaches and other types of dental pain, orofacial pain and TMJ disorder
  
  
• Neck pain, including whiplash

• Back pain, including back sprain, degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, sciatica and spinal stenosis
  
  
• Chest pain, including costochondritis
  
  
• Shoulder pain
  
  
• Arm and wrist pain, including tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome

• Menstrual cramps and other types of pelvic pain
  
  
• Sexual pain and testicular and scrotal pain
  
  
• Leg pain, knee pain and foot pain
  
  
• Joint pain from conditions such as Lyme disease and systemic lupus erythematosus
  
  
• Allodynia
  

• Cancer pain
  
  
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
  
  
• Complex regional pain syndrome
  
  
• Fibromyalgia
  
  
• Symptoms of meningitis and encephalitis
  
  
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
  
  
• Sarcoidosis
  
  
• Sickle cell anemia

Aspirin, a type of NSAID, may also be taken daily by some patients with cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of heart attack. However, no other NSAID can be used for this purpose. Aspirin is beneficial to the cardiovascular system because it also has mild anti-platelet properties, which prevent the formation of blood clots. Interested patients are advised to consult their physician about the benefits and risks of aspirin therapy.

Regular use of aspirin or other NSAIDs reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer, according to authorities such as the American Cancer Society. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved use of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib to reduce the number of polyps in people with a hereditary condition called familial adenomatous polyposis that raises the risk of colorectal cancer. 

Some studies suggest that NSAIDs might reduce the risk of other cancers, such as those of the esophagus, mouth, lungs, brain, skin, prostate, ovaries and breasts. The FDA has approved a diclofenac gel (Solaraze) to treat precancerous skin lesions called actinic keratoses.

People who regularly take NSAIDs might also have lower risk of some other conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and asthma, according to recent research. However, because of the gastric and other side effects of these medications, physicians generally do not recommend taking NSAIDs merely for these potential benefits.

Regular use of ibuprofen may prevent or delay Parkinson’s disease, according to recent data from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutritional Cohort, a study involving about 147,000 American adults. Yet ibuprofen is still not indicated for this purpose, as further research is needed. Other NSAIDs and acetaminophen had no such effect in the project.

Scientists are studying whether NSAIDs can help fight Alzheimer’s disease. A clinical trial sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found naproxen and the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib ineffective in slowing cognitive decline in patients with the disease, but the researchers stated that it was possible NSAIDs might have a role in preventing Alzheimer’s.