ER back pain study: could a simple nerve block offer fast relief?
NCT ID NCT06745453
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a nerve block called an erector spinae plane block (ESPB) can reduce pain in adults with acute low back pain in the emergency department. 62 participants will receive either the ESPB or a sham injection. Researchers will measure pain scores for up to 2 hours and check pain, disability, and return to work after 7 days.
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 injection)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a new, fast-acting pain relief option for acute low back pain in the emergency department.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 62 participants. The sham injection may also provide some relief, and results may not apply to everyone with back pain.
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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About 62 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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 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: * Adults (age ≥18 years) presenting to the emergency department with isolated low back pain present less than 6 total weeks. Exclusion Criteria: * Do not speak English or Spanish as a primary language * Are incarcerated * Have a known pregnancy * Are allergic to amide-type local anesthetics * Are unable to tolerate positioning for the procedure * Have a critical illness precluding the ability to perform the procedure.
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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Rush University Medical Center
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Radiofrequency device tested as Add-On for stubborn back pain
- Back muscles hold clues for treating recurrent low back pain
- Skip the GP? physiotherapy first for back pain put to the test
- Can yoga ease back pain when recovery looks unlikely?
- Can a second injection target the source of stubborn back pain?
- Can releasing a deep back muscle ease pain and help you breathe better?