There is no clear evidence to support that NSAIDs inhibit bone healing in the clinical setting. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to withhold NSAIDs and their pain-relieving benefits from patients undergoing orthopaedic procedures. Unfortunately, there is also no good evidence confirming the safety of NSAIDs with regards to bone healing, which is likely that any detrimental effect is dose and time dependent. Orthopaedic surgeons attempting to better characterize the effects of NSAIDs on bone healing are encouraged to read this review to improve the quality of ongoing and future clinical studies.