New patch could ease ankle sprain pain without pills

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * acute ankle sprains Grade I * location of injury such that pain-on-movement (POM) is elicited on active standardized movement * enrollment within 6 hours of the injury * baseline VAS score for POM of injured extremity \> 50 mm on a 100 mm VAS * adult male or female patients * age 18 to 64 years (including) * having given written informed consent * satisfactory health as determined by the Investigator based on medical history and physical examination. Exclusion Criteria: * significant concomitant injury in association with the index soft- tissue injury/contusion or strain; e.g. fracture, nerve injury, ligament disruption, tear of muscle or cartilage, or open wound * current skin disorder or shaving hair at application site * history of excessive sweating/hyperhidrosis inclusive of application site * intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drags (NSAIDs) or analgesics within 36 hours, opioids within 7 days, or corticosteroids (except inhaled corticosteroids for e.g. topical treatment of bronchial asthma) within 60 days of inclusion in the study * intake of long-acting NSAIDs or application of topical medication since the injury (Rest, Ice, Compression, and elevation (RICE) allowed) * participation in a clinical study within 30 days before inclusion in the study or concomitantly * participation in this clinical study in another center * drug or alcohol abuse in the opinion of the Investigator * pregnant and lactating women * women of child-bearing potential (defined as all women physiologically capable of becoming pregnant) who are not using an acceptable method of contraception defined as: * Surgical sterilization * Combined (estrogen and progestogen containing) hormonal contraception, e.g., oral, intravaginal, transdermal and progestogen-only hormonal contraception e.g. oral, injectable, implantable as well as intrauterine device (IUD) and intrauterine hormone-releasing system (IUS) each in combination with male condom to increase safety effect (double barrier method) * Total abstinence throughout the study at the discretion of the Investigator * Periodic abstinence is NOT an acceptable method of contraception. An acceptable method of contraception must be maintained throughout the study * A woman who is post-menopausal must have a negative urine pregnancy test at screening but will not need to comply with an acceptable method of contraception. Women are considered post-menopausal and not of child bearing potential if they had 12 months of natural (spontaneous) amenorrhea with an appropriate clinical profile (e.g. age appropriate, history of sterilisation, salpingectomy) or 6 months of spontaneous amenorrhea with serum Follic simulating hormone (FSH) levels \> 40 mIU/mL or have had surgical bilateral oophorectomy (with or without hysterectomy) at least 6 weeks ago. In the case of oophorectomy alone, only when the reproductive status of the woman has been confirmed by follow up hormone level assessment * known hypersensitivity to Esflurbiprofen, R-flurbiprofen or one of the excipients of the patch * patients with any ongoing condition that may interfere with the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion of Esflurbiprofen * history of previous significant injury to the same extremity within 6 months * patients with a disease affecting the same limb, such as synovitis, rheumatoid arthritis, arthrosis, etc. * patients having an ongoing painful condition associated with blunt injury/contusion * patients suffering from symptoms of an infectious disease including swelling of any joint of the affected lower limbs * patients who had surgery of the affected lower limb within one year of study entry * patients with significant diseases (defined as a disease which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the patient at risk because of participation in the study or a disease which may influence the results of the study or the patient's ability to participate in the study; includes patients with a history of gastrointestinal bleeding, significant cardiovascular, liver or renal disease) * patients with a blood coagulation disorder * patients who use any impermissible medication * known allergy to paracetamol and galenic components of the rescue medication