1.Treatment of lumbar nerve root pain with nerve block +/- clonidine

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A Randomised Prospective Pilot Study Comparing the Outcomes of Patients with Lumbar Nerve Root Pain Secondary to Lumbar Disc Prolapse Treated by Nerve Root Block with or without the Addition of Clonidine.

• IRAS ID

  66020

• Sponsor organisation

  Royal Devon & exeter Foundation trust

• Eudract number

  2010-023262-46

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  n/a

• Research summary

  When people have had a disc bulge in the lower back (lumbar region), they often experience pain which spreads into one leg for a long period afterwards. A disc normally provides the cushioning between the bones of the spine (vertebrae) and allows flexibility in the spine. If a disc bulges, it can press on nerves nearby, causing pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the leg. Often, the problem clears up naturally as the damaged disc heals itself. However, there is a treatment that can be given to provide short-term relief while the healing takes place. One of the standard treatments for this is to inject anaesthetic and steroid between the bones (vertebrae) of the spine around the affected nerve. The injection is guided by X-ray pictures so that mixture is delivered to the right spot and there is no danger of the needle damaging other nerves or blood vessels nearby. Recently, evidence has emerged that suggests that using another drug together with the anaesthetic might enhance its effect and give longer lasting relief. The drug is called Clonidine. However, so far, nobody has compared the effects of using this drug with just the anaesthetic and steroid alone. We propose to do a pilot study to see if this is feasible. In the study, we will ask patients already booked for an injection to consent to be randomised (in a manner like tossing a coin) to receive the standard injection or the injection with added Clonidine. We will ask them to score their pain levels on special brief questionnaires immediately before and after the injection and at intervals after that to see how long any pain relief lasts. We will then analyse the results to see if there has been any difference in pain scores.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  10/H0406/92

• Date of REC Opinion

  8 Mar 2011

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion