Back surgery patients may need fewer opioids with simple steroid trick
NCT ID NCT05058287
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether placing a steroid (Depo-Medrol) directly on the spine during back surgery can lower pain and the need for opioid painkillers afterward. About 150 adults having one- or two-level lumbar decompression will be randomly assigned to get the steroid or a placebo. Researchers will track opioid use, pain scores, hospital stay length, and return to work.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Depo-Medrol (methylprednisolone) steroid
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give surgeons a simple way to lower pain and opioid use after back surgery, helping patients recover faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-stage trial with 150 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The steroid could have side effects like infection or nerve irritation.
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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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 150 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2021
- 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 to 85 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.
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: * Patients scheduled to undergo 1 to 2 level laminectomy * Between the ages of 18-85 Exclusion Criteria: * Minimally invasive surgery * Prior daily opioid usage within 6 months. * Use of concomitant procedures such as spinal fusion, revision procedure at the same level. * History of a chronic pain syndrome, uncontrolled diabetes defined as A1C \> 6.5, immunocompromised condition such as active cancer treatment, history of transplant, benign prostatic hyperplasia or history of urinary retention, and other conditions which require chronic steroid therapy or immunosuppressants. * Non-English speakers * Patients allergic to Depo-Medrol and/or glucocorticoids, or other steroids
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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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Hospital for Special Surgery
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10021, United States
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