My friend called the other day complaining of a sore back and said she had just taken Tylenol. She wanted to know if that was the right thing to take for her pain.

There are many over the counter pain relievers available, and it can be confusing to know which one to take. Two popular groups of pain medications are non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and salicylic acid based drugs. Drugs that are considered NSAIDs include the brand names Alleve, Motrin, and Ibuprofen, and the salicylic acids are drugs including Tylenol, Bayer, and aspirin.

For musculoskeletal conditions, which usually have a component of swelling, the NSAIDs can be more effective as they help reduce both pain and inflammation. They do need to be taken consistently as prescribed in order to have an anti-inflammatory benefit. That said, if your doctor prescribed 800mg Ibuprofen to be taken 2-3 times a day, you need to take it at that frequency to have the full benefit, though taken irregularly, you will still experience breakthrough pain relief. The aspirins do have an effect on pain relief, however they do not directly reduce inflammation. Given that, my first choice for an over the counter pain reliever for muculoskeletal-related pain is an NSAID, since swelling can be a significant contributor to overall pain and function.