Sugar water shot may ease sciatica pain in ER
NCT ID NCT07588126
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether an ultrasound-guided injection of sugar water around the sciatic nerve could safely reduce sciatica pain in the emergency department. Researchers enrolled 69 adults with acute sciatica and followed up 72 hours later. The goal was to see if the procedure is feasible and safe, and whether it might lower pain in the short term.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dextrose in water solution (sugar water)
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could offer a simple, non-drug option for quickly reducing sciatica pain in the emergency room.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study with only 69 participants and no control group. The results may not apply to everyone, and long-term benefits or risks are unknown.
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
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69 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- Finished
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Feb 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
-
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: * Age 18 years or older * Clinically diagnosed acute sciatica, defined as pain and/or paresthesias in a -sciatic nerve distribution * Willing to undergo the injection procedure * Verbal informed consent provided prior to enrollment * Adequate sonographic visualization of the sciatic nerve in the transgluteal window confirmed on screening ultrasound Exclusion Criteria: * Fever or signs of systemic infection * Suspected spinal infection * Suspected spinal malignancy * Signs or symptoms of cauda equina syndrome * Acute traumatic mechanism of pain * Localized infection or skin breakdown at the proposed injection site * Known allergy to study injectate (5% dextrose in water) or procedural materials * Refusal to participate * Inability to adequately visualize the target anatomy on ultrasound for safe injection
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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
-
Kaiser Permanente
San Diego, California, 92123, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.