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Intracutaneous Sterile Water Injections for Acute Low Back Pain in the Emergency Department

Intracutaneous Sterile Water Injections for Acute Low Back Pain in the Emergency Department: a Pilot Study

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04240483
Enrollment
6
Registered
2020-01-27
Start date
2020-07-27
Completion date
2021-02-08
Last updated
2022-01-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Keywords

low back pain, sterile water injection, emergency department, sterile water, acute low back pain

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of intracutaneous sterile water injections (ISWI) for treatment of acute low back pain in patients presenting to the emergency department. The primary aim is to determine if ISWI provides pain relief for acute low back pain in the ED. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether ISWI provides improved patient satisfaction in the ED setting. The hypothesis is that ISWI will improve pain amongst patients presenting with acute low back pain to the ED.

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of intracutaneous sterile water injections (ISWI) for treatment of acute low back pain in patients presenting to the emergency department. The primary aim is to determine if ISWI provides pain relief for acute low back pain in the ED. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether ISWI provides improved patient satisfaction in the ED setting. The hypothesis is that ISWI will improve pain amongst patients presenting with acute low back pain to the ED. This pilot study will use a randomized controlled trial design to compare the effects of ISWI to intracutaneous dry injections in patients presenting to the ED with acute low back pain.

Interventions

OTHERIntracutaneous sterile water injections (ISWI) group

ISWI consists of 4 intracutaneous injections of 0.5 ml sterile water in the lumbosacral region while patient is in a seated position. One injection given at the posterior superior iliac spine (Point 1) on both sides and second injection at 1 cm medial, and 1-2 cm inferior to the first point on both the sides (Point 2) using an insulin needle. These points overlie the area called Michaelis' rhomboid.

OTHERIntracutaneous dry injections (IDI) group

Intracutaneous dry injections will be performed in the same manner described above, however, no sterile water or alternative solutions will be injected into the sites.

Sponsors

Lindsey schmelzer
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

\*\*Patients must be able to get care at Nellis Air Force Base (a military installation) in order to participate in this study\*\* Inclusion Criteria: * Active Duty and DoD Beneficiaries aged 18 to 64 years. * Presenting to the ED with a chief complaint of acute low back pain of less than 2 weeks in duration. * Pain severity on presentation of greater than or equal to 5/10 on Visual Analogue Scale.

Exclusion criteria

* Traumatic low back pain * New weakness or neurologic deficit * New loss bowel/bladder control * Back pain above T12 * Active cancer * Currently taking anticoagulant medications * Signs of infection or trauma over the injection site * Non-English speaking * Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Pain severity on 11-point Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)pre-treatmentVisual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a measurement instrument that tries to measure a characteristic or attitude that is believed to range across a continuum of values and cannot easily be directly measured. In this case the scale is accompanied by the Wong-Baker faces pain rating scale. Min pain score is 0, max pain score is 10. Lower scores mean a better outcome and higher scores mean greater pain severity.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Satisfaction score on 11-point Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)30 minutes post treatmentVisual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a measurement instrument that tries to measure a characteristic or attitude that is believed to range across a continuum of values and cannot easily be directly measured. In this case the VAS is a horizontal line ranging from left to right for unsatisfied to highly satisfied. Min pain score is 0, max pain score is 10.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026