Trigger Point Injections Versus Lidocaine Patch for Myofascial Pain in the Emergency Department

A Randomized Controlled Study Comparing Trigger Point Injections With 1% Lidocaine Versus 5% Lidocaine Patch for Myofascial Pain in the Emergency Department

The aim of this trial is to investigate the efficacy of trigger point injections with 1% lidocaine in reducing myofascial back and neck pain in the Emergency Department compared to lidocaine patches 5%.

Study Overview

• Status: Withdrawn
• Conditions: Myofascial Trigger Point Pain; Myofacial Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Trigger point injection with 1% lidocaine; Drug: Lidocaine patch 5%

Detailed Description

After being informed about the study and the potential risks and benefits, all patients will be randomized into either the trigger point injection group with 1% lidocaine, or the 5% lidocaine patch group. Pain scores will be recorded while in the emergency department, and we will have a 5 day follow-up phone call to assess efficacy. Patients who present to UCI Department of Emergency medicine will be screened and recruited prospectively, and information regarding this study will be available on clinicaltrials.gov as a method of recruitment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Orange, California, United States, 92868
      • Emergency Room at UCI Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years or older
• Diagnosed with myofascial pain of the posterior neck or back. *The diagnosis of myofascial pain was based on established criteria of having a palpable taut band (trigger point) that when depressed reproduced the patient's pain.

Exclusion Criteria:

• midline spinal tenderness
• evidence of radiculopathy
• pregnant
• have an allergy to lidocaine
• altered or deemed incapable of making informed consent
• had signs of infection or skin breakdown over the trigger point.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Trigger point with 1% Lidocaine; The physician will withdraw 1cc of 1% lidocaine in a 25g needle, sterilely prep the field with a Chloraprep applicator, use index, and middle finger to squeeze the borders of the trigger point and raise the central aspect of the trigger point, insert the needle at 90-degree angle up to 5/8' deep, inject 1cc of the 1% lidocaine after ensuring needle is not in a blood vessel, removing the needle, and then covering the insertion site with a sterile bandage.	Procedure: Trigger point injection with 1% lidocaine; Previously discussed in prior section.
Active Comparator: 5% Lidocaine Patch; 5% lidocaine patch will be placed at the point of maximal tenderness upon palpation. Location of placement will be described and instructed by physician and placed by nursing staff.	Drug: Lidocaine patch 5%; Will place lidocaine patch onto skin overlaying point of maximal tenderness

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
absolute change in Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of pain	Pain on a scale of 1-10. Minimum value is 1, maximum value is 10. Higher score means higher level of pain while lower score means lower level of pain.	0 minutes and 20-minutes post- treatment, and every 30-60 minutes thereafter until discharge or admission and we will give the patient a hand out so that they can record their pain scores for up to 5 days after their emergency department visit.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
use of other medications for treatment of pain including medications administered	How often and which medications did the patient require in emergency department and upon discharge to control their pain	From initiation of the study up to 5 days post discharge
disposition times	Number of minutes it takes to discharge or admit the patient from first contact	From initiation of the study up to the point the patient is discharged from the emergency department
satisfaction/experience surveys regarding their treatment	We will administer satisfaction/experience surveys to assess for any discomfort or relief from the intervention	Immediately after the intervention is performed/administered

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jonathan Lee, MD, UCI Department of Emergency Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Garvey TA, Marks MR, Wiesel SW. A prospective, randomized, double-blind evaluation of trigger-point injection therapy for low-back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1989 Sep;14(9):962-4. doi: 10.1097/00007632-198909000-00008.
• Skootsky SA, Jaeger B, Oye RK. Prevalence of myofascial pain in general internal medicine practice. West J Med. 1989 Aug;151(2):157-60.
• Scott NA, Guo B, Barton PM, Gerwin RD. Trigger point injections for chronic non-malignant musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Pain Med. 2009 Jan;10(1):54-69. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2008.00526.x. Epub 2008 Nov 5.
• Yanuck J, Saadat S, Lee JB, Jen M, Chakravarthy B. Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial on Trigger Point Injections With 1% Lidocaine Versus Conventional Approaches for Myofascial Pain in the Emergency Department. J Emerg Med. 2020 Sep;59(3):364-370. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.06.015. Epub 2020 Jul 22.
• Annaswamy TM, De Luigi AJ, O'Neill BJ, Keole N, Berbrayer D. Emerging concepts in the treatment of myofascial pain: a review of medications, modalities, and needle-based interventions. PM R. 2011 Oct;3(10):940-61. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2011.06.013.
• Affaitati G, Fabrizio A, Savini A, Lerza R, Tafuri E, Costantini R, Lapenna D, Giamberardino MA. A randomized, controlled study comparing a lidocaine patch, a placebo patch, and anesthetic injection for treatment of trigger points in patients with myofascial pain syndrome: evaluation of pain and somatic pain thresholds. Clin Ther. 2009 Apr;31(4):705-20. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2009.04.006.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 8, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 9, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2026
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: emergency department; pain management; myofascial pain; trigger point injections; lidocaine patches; interventional pain medicine
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Perceptual Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Emergencies; Myofascial Pain Syndromes; Agnosia; Facial Pain; Organic Chemicals; Anilides; Amides; Aniline Compounds; Amines; Acetanilides; Lidocaine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20216439

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: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No