The Effect of Physical Therapy Program and Erector Spina Plane Block in Patients With Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis

June 7, 2025 updated by: Ozge Illeez, MD, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital

The Effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block in Combination With Physical Therapy on Pain, Disability, and Quality of Life in Patients With Degenerative Scoliosis: Prospective, Randomized, Clinical Study

Degenerative (de novo) scoliosis is the result of a long and multifactorial process that occurs through degenerative change in the aging population without a pre-existing spinal deformity. Pain is the most important symptom and the major difference from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Treatment is often complex and patient-specific. The first aim of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy on pain, disability and quality of life in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis and the second aim is to investigate whether erector spina plan block (ESPB) combined with physical therapy has an effect on the results.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients over 60 years of age, with low back or low back-leg pain for at least 3 months, who had received pharmacologic treatment but did not respond, and diagnosed with degenerative lumbar scoliosis are included in the study. Patients are randomized into to groups according to the interventions as: physical therapy group (G-1) and physical therapy and ESPB injection group (G-2). The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity). Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone are administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterallyThe primary endpoint of the study is pain intensity assasment by using a numerical rating scale (NRS), and secondary endpoints are functional status, quality of life and disability status assasment by using SRS-22 and Oswestry disability index. Patients are evaluated before and 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after treatment. In the 2nd group, pain intensity at 1 hour after injection is additionally evaluated with a NRS. As a result of the power analysis, the minimum sample size was planned as a total of 16 patients with 8 patients in each group with a 15% dropout rate. Shapiro Wilk test is applied to examine the normality of the data distribution. The difference between groups is evaluated by Mann Whitney U according to normal distribution and by ANOVA for time-dependent within-group change.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
26

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • Istanbul, Turkey
        • Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital
      • Istanbul, Turkey, 34752
        • Farih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being 60 years or older
  • Having a scoliosis of 10 degrees or more in the lumbar region according to the measurement made with the cobb method
  • Having pain in the axial waist or radiating from the waist to the leg
  • Pain that persists for at least 3 months
  • NRS > 4

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Systemic or local infection at the injection site
  • Past or current history of malignant disease
  • Presence of neurological or orthopedic disease
  • Presence of uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes mellitus
  • Presence of severe heart failure
  • Presence of bleeding diathesis
  • Anticoagulant use
  • Lidocaine allergy
  • Psychiatric disorder or mental problem
  • inflammatory spine pain
  • Severe osteoporosis / previous vertebral fracture
  • Body mass index >35
  • Having had previous surgery on the lumbar region
  • Injection was applied to the waist region within 6 months or physical have been treated

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: physical therapy
The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity)
Other: physical therapy
The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity).
Active Comparator: physical therapy + espb
same physical therapy program, in addition Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone is administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterally.
Other: physical therapy + espb
the same physical therapy program, in addition Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone is administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterally.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Time Frame: Day 0
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Day 0
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Time Frame: 1 hour after injection
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
1 hour after injection
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Time Frame: 1 week after physical treatment
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
1 week after physical treatment
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Time Frame: 1 month after physical treatment
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
1 month after physical treatment
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Time Frame: 3 month after physical treatment
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
3 month after physical treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SRS-22
Time Frame: Day 0
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
Day 0
SRS-22
Time Frame: 1 week after physical treatment
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
1 week after physical treatment
SRS-22
Time Frame: 1 month after physical treatment
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
1 month after physical treatment
SRS-22
Time Frame: 3 month after physical treatment
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
3 month after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: Day 0
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
Day 0
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: 1 week after physical treatment
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
1 week after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: 1 month after physical treatment
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
1 month after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: 3 month after physical treatment
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
3 month after physical treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Ozge Gulsum Illeez, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Taining and Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 15, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 3, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 25, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 30, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 7, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ozgeilleez1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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