Skip to content

Does Subacromial Injection With Glutamate Receptor Antagonist, Ketamine, Attenuate Pain in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy?

CompletedPhase 2, Phase 3NCT02967640
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Recruiting status changes often. Contact the study team listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, and talk to your doctor before joining a study.

This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.

Brief summary (from the registry)

The hypothesis of the present study is that in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy a specific pharmacological blocking of peripheral glutamate-receptor N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor type1 (NMDAR) glutamate receptors will result in pain alleviation. Activated NMDAR1 has been demonstrated to be crucial for pain regulation in various pain disorders, and in biopsies from patients with tendinopathy, NMDAR1 was found to be activated. To test this hypothesis a specific NMDA receptor antagonist, ketalar (ketamine), will be injected guided by ultrasound into the subacromial space in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, and subsequently the pain response will be assessed.

Study details

Official title
Does Subacromial Injection With Glutamate Receptor (NMDAR) Antagonist, Ketamine, Attenuate Pain in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy?
Conditions
Interventions
  • Drug: Ketalar
  • Drug: NaCl 9%
Sponsor
Helse Møre og Romsdal HF
Start date
2018-05-30
Primary completion
2024-12-30
Sex
All
Age range
from 40 Years
Results posted
No results posted in this snapshot
Countries
Norway
Total sites listed
1

Eligibility criteria

Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * diagnosis of rotator cuff tendinopathy by exercise-related shoulder pain with positive impingement tests as described by Hawkins and Neers, and MRI findings consistent with tendinopathy. * Symptom duration at least 1 year to ensure neuronal ingrowth and NMDAR expression Exclusion Criteria: * previous surgery in any shoulder. * previous cortisone use, either as injections or orally * symptoms or signs of cervicobrachialgia or polyneuropathy * full thickness rotator cuff ruptures verified by MRI * primary inflammatory mediated pain, hence, patients with glenohumeral arthrosis, glenohumeral arthritis or systemic disorders predisposing for arthritis * a central component of pain perception manifested by radiating pain in the involved limb; implying worse outcome after subacromial decompression. * pregnancy * breastfeeding * reduced liver function (Increased serum bilirubin, ASAT or ALAT), decompensated heart failure (NYHA class 3-4) * increased intracranial pressure or disease of the central nervous system (CNS) * chronic alcoholism * epilepsy * psychiatric disease, increased intraocular pressure * acute intermittent porphyria * hyperthyroidism * use of thyroid hormones * upper respiratory tract infections * pneumonia * intracranial lesions * acute head injuries * ocular injuries * hydrocephalus * risk factors predisposing for intra-articular bleeding * increased risk of infection

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02967640