Nerve block eases chronic back pain in small trial
NCT ID NCT07256132
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed study tested a nerve block called the erector spinae plane block in 40 adults with chronic low back pain from degenerative disc disease. The procedure aims to reduce pain and improve daily function. Researchers measured pain levels and disability scores to see if the block helps when other treatments have failed.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- erector spinae plane block (a nerve block procedure)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this nerve block could offer a non-surgical option for managing chronic low back pain from degenerative disc disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The procedure is a temporary pain block, not a cure for the underlying disc disease.
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
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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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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2022
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- 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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30 to 65 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.
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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: * This study was conducted on 40 adult patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine and admitted to the Neurosurgery Department at Alexandria Main University Hospital aged between 30 and 65 years old with Visual analog scale more than or equal to 4 not responding to conservative treatment, patients having grade 0, 1 or 2 lumbar disc degeneration without disc bulge or prolapse by X-ray and MRI with loss or decreased lumbar lordosis, patients with black disc and contained disc bulge on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and patients with grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis provided that the canal dimensions are normal or with mild stenosis Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with severe sciatic pain, patients with more than two levels of DDD of the lumbar region or with isthmic spondylolisthesis and high-grade instability, or patients with disc fragments encroaching upon the exit foramina and nerve root or with severe canal stenosis, also those with central obesity, recurrent disc prolapse or with previous abdominal surgery were excluded from the study. Steroid injection was avoided in patients with immunosuppression or uncontrolled diabetes.
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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
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Alexandria University
Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, 21523, Egypt