Botox for sports injuries? small study tests pain relief for stubborn groin pain
NCT ID NCT05430893
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether injecting botulinum toxin A (like Botox) into a groin muscle could ease chronic pain in athletes with athletic pubalgia, a stubborn sports injury. Twenty athletes who had not gotten better with other treatments received one injection. Researchers tracked pain, activity limits, and quality of life over the short term. Because it was a small, observational study without a control group, the results are only a first step and need more research.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- botulinum toxin A
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new pain relief option for athletes with chronic groin pain who haven't improved with other treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small, retrospective study with only 20 participants and no comparison group, so results are very preliminary and may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2017
- Finished
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Mar 2021
- 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.
Who is studied
Patients with chronic athletic pubalgia for whom medical and/or surgical treatments have failed and who were treated with an intra-muscular injection of botulinum toxin A injection under ultrasound guidance
- Ages
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18 years and older
- 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: * chronic AP * symptom duration ≥ 3 months * consistent clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings according to the clinician * failure of medical and/or surgical treatments with persistent pain and inability to return to play * treatment with an intra-muscular injection of botulinum toxin A injection Exclusion Criteria: * age under 18 years * ongoing pregnancy or breastfeeding * treatments by anticoagulants * muscular disorder (e.g. polymyositis, myopathy or other neuromuscular conditions) * guardianship or curatorship * individuals who had received botulinum toxin type A treatment for less than one year
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Service de rééducation fonctionnelle, réadaptation de l'appareil locomoteur et Pathologies du Rachis - Cochin Hospital
Paris, Île-de-France Region, 75014, France
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