Pulsed radiofrequency treatment of myofascial pain syndrome

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF ANALGESIC EFFICACY OF PULSED RADIO FREQUENCY THERAPY OF MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINT WITH TRIGGER POINT INJECTION WITH LOCAL ANAESTHETIC AND TRIGGER POINT INJECTION WITH STEROIDS IN PATIENTS WITH MYOFASCIAL PAIN SYNDROME

• IRAS ID

  93833

• Contact name

  Niraj Gopinath

• Sponsor organisation

  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

• Eudract number

  2012-002746-21

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  n/a

• Research summary

  Myofascial pain is a common condition where patients have severe pain localized to specific muscles in the body. This is caused by the presence of knots in the muscle, which are extremely tender to touch. These pea-sized knots are called trigger points. Trigger points are amongst the commonest, yet poorly recognized and inadequately treated causes of muscle pain seen in medical practice. We conducted a survey among 200 pain medicine consultants in the UK to find out the standard treatment for patients with myofascial pain. We found that there were not one but two standard treatments. The first treatment involves inserting a needle into the painful knot(s) and injecting a mixture of local anaesthetic and steroid and is called Trigger Point Injection with local anaesthetic and steroid. 80% of the pain consultants who responded, use this treatment. The second involves inserting a needle into the tender knot(s) and injecting local anaesthetic drug. It is called Trigger Point Injection with Local Anaesthetic. It is accepted that these two treatments provide pain relief for a short duration (2 months). In Leicester we have been using a new treatment called pulsed radiofrequency. Our pilot data shows that this treatment provides superior pain relief that could last up to six months. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the new treatment when compared to the two standard treatments. Participants who are recruited into the study will be allocated to one of three groups by chance. The participants will not be aware of the treatment they would receive. The participants will be asked to complete three questionnaires detailing their pain score and quality of life before receiving treatment and at one, three and six months after receiving treatment. Participation in the study will end six months after they have received treatment.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  12/EM/0348

• Date of REC Opinion

  11 Oct 2012

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion