article_snippet: Scientists from the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine also covered patients who took Musculoskeletal Medicine less often or hardly at all.
article_snippet: For this reason it was difficult to be sure the drugs were causing problems.
article_snippet: But Professor Conaghan added:
article_snippet: Professor Conaghan said patients being prescribed the drugs for long periods for arthritis or muscle and joint pain should talk to patients doctor about alternative treatments, such as exercise.
article_snippet: Published in the journal, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the study concluded:
article_snippet: Other scientists played down the risks.
article_snippet: Professor Nick Bateman, who specialises in clinical toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, said:
article_snippet: ‘Based on the study the risk is minimal.
article_snippet: Based on these results, the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary period is advised, this is common sense for all medicines.
highlights_snippet: say drug may be causing illness by inhibiting enzyme called COX-2 . 