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NCT Number: NCT06735027

Corticosteroid Injection Versus Nerve Block

The purpose of this study is to evaluate conservative pain relief measures for patients suffering from glenohumeral arthritis or rotator cuff arthropathy. Conservative management of osteoarthritis is often first line treatment, and while a corticosteroid injection is frequently used, suprascapular nerve blocks have not often been described as an analgesic option in this population.

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Key information

Conditions

Glenohumeral Arthritis Arthritis Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Osteoarthritis Rheumatic Diseases Rotator Cuff Arthropathy

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55414, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Allison Rao

CONTACT

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • diagnosis of glenohumeral osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or rotator cuff arthropathy who are being offered injection

Exclusion criteria

  • uncontrolled diabetes (patients will be excluded if no HbA1c within a year or if it is 8 or greater"
  • known allergy to steroid or anesthetic
  • pregnant women
  • prisoners
  • patients with diminished capacity to consent to participation
  • children under 18 years of age
  • non-English speakers

Treatment and study plan

intraarticular corticosteroid injection (IACI)

Other

The patient will be in a seated position. Correct patient, laterality, and procedure will be performed during the timeout. Ultrasound guidance will be used to identify the glenohumeral joint. The injection site will then be disinfected with an alcohol wipe. A 21, 22, or 23-gauge needle (depending on provider preference) will be advanced into the glenohumeral joint under direct ultrasound visualization. After entry into the glenohumeral joint, a negative aspiration will be performed. At that time, up to 1 mL of 40mg/mL methylprednisolone acetate will be injected be injected into the joint space.

suprascapular nerve block (SSNB)

Other

The patient will be in a seated position. Correct patient, laterality, and procedure will be performed during the timeout. Ultrasound guidance will be used to identify the suprascapular nerve in its path at the suprascapular notch. After disinfection of the injection site with alcohol, anatomic landmarks for SSNB as described by Dangoisse et al. [10] will be marked with a marking pen. Ultrasound will be utilized to guide the tip of a 21, 22, or 23 gauge (depending on provider preference) needle to the floor of the suprascapular fossa while avoiding neurovascular structures. At that time, a mixture of up to 10 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine and 20 mg triamcinolone will be slowly injected to fill the fascial contents of the suprascapular fossa under direct ultrasound guidance.

Primary outcomes

  1. change in visual analog scale (VAS) for pain

    Time frame: preintervention, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 month, and 3 months postintervention

    a validated continuous scale assessment for pain

  2. single assessment numerical evaluation (SANE) of the shoulder

    Time frame: preintervention, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 month, and 3 months postintervention

    a validated tool providing a numerical score from 0-100 that assess shoulder function as subjectively reported by the subject. A higher score indicates superior shoulder function.

  3. Oxford shoulder score (OSS)

    Time frame: preintervention, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 month, and 3 months postintervention

    a validated patient-reported outcome measure used to assess shoulder pain and functional disability. Possible scores range from 0-48 with higher scores indicating superior better shoulder function.

  4. American shoulder and elbow surgeons (ASES) score

    Time frame: preintervention, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 month, and 3 months postintervention

    a validated survey with possible scores from 0-100 that assesses shoulder function as reported by the subject. A higher score indicates superior shoulder function.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Allison Rao

CONTACT

[email protected]

608-445-0545

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Minnesota

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Comparative Cohort Study of the Use of Intra-articular Corticosteroid Injection Compared to Suprascapular Nerve Block for Treatment of Shoulder Pain

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Dec 16, 2024
Registry last updated
Jan 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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