Nerve block or pills? study tests which works best for ACL pain
NCT ID NCT03365908
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at two common ways to manage pain after ACL knee surgery: a nerve block (injection near the knee) versus oral pain medication. About 60 adults aged 18 to 45 having ACL reconstruction will take part. The goal is to see if both methods provide similar pain relief and help the knee recover equally well.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2017
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Between the ages of 18 and 45 years old. * Clinical and/or advanced imaging confirmation of ACL tear of which reconstructive surgery is recommended and accepted. Exclusion Criteria: * No prior surgery of the affected and contralateral knee * Adults unable to consent * Children (age \< 18 years old) * Prisoners * Pregnant women * Inflammatory arthritis * Non-English-speaking patients
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UC Davis Health
Sacramento, California, 95817, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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