CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ibuprofen was superior to acetaminophen and codeine in relieving the pain from a broken bone or serious sprain suffered by children brought to the emergency room, Canadian researchers said on Monday.

A single dose of ibuprofen, sold generically and under the brand name Advil by Wyeth, relieved the pain within an hour in 52 of 100 injured children.

Ibuprofen also eased more of the pain than the two other medications, according to the study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A total of 300 children, aged 6 to 17, participated in the study comparing painkillers administered orally.

They received either a 10-milligram dose of ibuprofen; 15 milligrams of acetaminophen, sold generically and under the brand name Tylenol by Johnson & Johnson; or 1 milligram of codeine.

Thirty-six of 100 injured children who took acetaminophen and 40 out of 100 who took codeine reported pain relief.

Since only about half of the children reported adequate pain relief from ibuprofen, the medication alone may not be enough, said study author Dr. Eric Clark of the University of Ottawa, in Ontario.

"Numerous studies have shown that analgesia is not adequately provided to both pediatric and adult (hospital emergency department) patients," he wrote.

The study was supported by a research grant from Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute.

Ibuprofen has been shown in previous studies to relieve pain better than acetaminophen for tonsillitis or migraines, the study said.