Spine surgery recovery: which pain method works best?
NCT ID NCT07001605
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compared two pain relief methods for people undergoing lower back decompression surgery. One group received a nerve block (erector spinae plane block), while the other received ketamine through an IV. Researchers measured how well patients recovered using a quality-of-recovery questionnaire. The goal was to find which approach provides better pain control and faster recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ketamine
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that one pain management method leads to faster, more comfortable recovery after spine surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 62 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Both methods have side effects like nausea or dizziness.
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.
- Phase
-
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
-
62 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jun 2025
- Finished
-
Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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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20 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status of I-III * scheduled for open lumber decompression surgery for degenerative stenosis or trauma involving 1or 2 levels without fusion. Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal to participate * Contraindication for peripheral regional anesthesia such as infection and coagulopathy. * Inability to comprehend the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) or Patients who has cognitive function impairment * Preoperative renal or hepatic insufficiency * History of Opioid abuse. * Allergy to any of the study drugs
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Kasr Alaini Hospital
Cairo, 11562, Egypt
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Two strong painkillers go Head-to-Head in the ambulance