It's a mother's nightmare - your youngster has sprained a limb or broken a bone, and you need to rush him or her to the emergency room.

But while doctors work to fix the problem, how do they relieve the pain?

According to a new study out of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, the best option is to give the child some ibuprofen.

The research examined 300 kids aged 6 to 17, who had been brought to the hospital for a variety of complaints, ranging from broken bones to bruises.

Each was randomly given three common kinds of medicine  -  acetaminophen, codeine and ibuprofen - to see which provided the most pain relief.

After half an hour, doctors assessed their levels of pain and discovered that in most cases, those given the ibuprofen reported their hurts were the most eased. They asked again after an hour and a third time after two hours. In each case, the drug seemed to be doing its job better than the others.

Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen are effective in fighting fevers, while codeine is a narcotic and is only available by prescription.

Study author Dr. Eric Clark of the University of Ottawa claims previous research has pitted both of the former drugs against each other, but his is the first that compares all three.

Some physicians suggest ibuprofen works best because it's the only one that specifically targets inflammation.

Ibuprofen is sold over the counter under such common names as Advil and Mortin, while acetaminophen is widely available under the moniker Tylenol.

Ibuprofen is known to cause stomach upset in some people, while its medicinal counterpart does not.