An editorial suggests possible reasons for the negative results:
• Most sciatica resolves over time- acute sciatica resolves without treatment in one third of patients within 2 weeks after onset and in three quarters of patients within 3 months after onset.
• Only 22 to 34% of the patients had probable characteristics of neuropathic pain at baseline, which suggests that most patients in the trial had nociceptive mechanisms of pain, and pregabalin is usually ineffective in this type of pain.
• The neuropathic pain of sciatica may have special characteristics.
It notes that despite these potential explanations, the results indicate failure of the drug to improve this condition, and the design of the trial does not exclude a possible benefit in chronic sciatica.