Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Trigger Point Injection for Chronic Thoracic Myofascial Pain
RecruitingPhase 4NCT07632820
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)
Chronic thoracic (mid-back) pain can be difficult to treat, and there is limited evidence to guide the use of injection therapies for pain arising from muscles and surrounding soft tissues. Two commonly used treatments are trigger point injections (TPI) and erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks, but no studies have directly compared their effectiveness for chronic thoracic myofascial pain. The purpose of this study is to compare pain relief, physical function, emotional well-being, patient satisfaction, and safety following treatment with either an ESP block or TPI. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two treatments. Researchers will follow participants for up to 12 weeks after the procedure and collect information through questionnaires and pain assessments.
Study details
- Official title
- Ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Block Versus Trigger Point Injection (TPI) for Chronic Thoracic Myofascial Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Drug: Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Block with 0.5% Plain Bupivacaine
- Drug: Trigger Point Injection (TPI) with 0.5% Plain Bupivacaine
- Sponsor
- Mayo Clinic
- Collaborators
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Ohio State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Start date
- 2026-08-13
- Primary completion
- 2029-08-01
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 80 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- United States
- Total sites listed
- 5
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18-80 years * Chronic thoracic myofascial pain lasting at least three months * Pain intensity of ≥4 on 11-point NRS * At least two of three following conditions: Focal thoracic paraspinal pain, palpable taut band, referred pain pattern with palpation Exclusion Criteria: * Thoracic radiculopathy * Cervical myelopathy with neurological deficit * Prior cervicothoracic spine surgery * Pregnancy or lactation * Contraindication to local anesthetic * Active malignancy * Fibromyalgia * BMI \>40 kg/m2 * Workers' compensation or active litigation related to thoracic pain * Acute herpes zoster or history of postherpetic neuralgia involving thoracic dermatomes * Current opioid use \>50 morphine milligram equivalents daily * Severe psychiatric or cognitive disorders, specifically history of schizophrenia, chronic psychotic disorders, dementia * History of substance use disorder * Inability to provide informed consent
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07632820