Perineural Dextrose Versus Local Anesthetic Injections in Knee Osteoarthritis

April 16, 2026 updated by: Nadide Koca, Ankara Training and Research Hospital

A Prospective Evaluation of the Clinical Effectiveness of Perineural Dextrose and Conventional Local Anesthetic Injections in Patients With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

This prospective observational study aims to compare the clinical effectiveness of perineural 5% dextrose injections and perineural local anesthetic injections in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Adult patients receiving routine perineural injection therapy will be followed for six months. Pain intensity and functional outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment using validated clinical assessment tools.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Knee osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease associated with chronic pain, functional limitation, and reduced quality of life. Various non-surgical treatment modalities have been used to manage symptoms; however, the effectiveness of these treatments may be limited due to the complex pain mechanisms involved in osteoarthritis.

Perineural injection therapy has gained increasing attention as a minimally invasive treatment option targeting neurogenic inflammation around peripheral sensory nerves. Perineural 5% dextrose injection is thought to reduce pain by modulating neurogenic inflammation, while local anesthetic injections are commonly used in clinical practice for symptomatic relief.

This study is designed as a prospective observational cohort study conducted in a routine clinical setting. Patients aged 40 to 65 years with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who are treated with perineural injections as part of standard care will be included. The choice of injectate (perineural 5% dextrose or perineural local anesthetic) will be determined based on clinical considerations and patient preference; no randomization or protocol-driven assignment will be performed.

Pain severity will be evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Functional status will be assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Additional clinical parameters, including knee range of motion measured by goniometry and quadriceps muscle strength assessed by manual muscle testing, will also be recorded. Assessments will be performed at baseline, and at 1, 3, and 6 months following treatment.

Clinical outcomes of the two treatment groups will be compared to evaluate changes in pain and functional status over time. The findings of this study are expected to contribute real-world evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of perineural 5% dextrose and local anesthetic injections in the management of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

86

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 Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Altindag
      • Ankara, Altindag, Turkey (Türkiye), 06230
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Ankara Training and Research Hospital Ankara, Altindag, Turkey, 06230
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nadide Koca, M.D.
      • Ankara, Altindag, Turkey (Türkiye), 06230
        • Recruiting
        • Ankara Training and Research Hospital Ankara, Altindag, Turkey, 06230
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients aged 40 to 65 years with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who are receiving perineural injection therapy as part of routine clinical care. Eligible participants include both male and female patients who meet the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and are able to provide written informed consent.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
  • Clinical/radiological diagnosis
  • Knee pain ≥ 3 months
  • Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior knee surgery
  • Recent intra-articular injection
  • Inflammatory rheumatic disease
  • Severe systemic or neurological disease
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Perineural 5% Dextrose Group
Patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis receiving perineural 5% dextrose injections as part of routine clinical care.
Procedure: Perineural 5% Dextrose Injection
Perineural injection of 5% dextrose solution administered around periarticular sensory nerves of the knee as part of routine clinical practice.
Perineural Local Anesthetic Group
Patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis receiving perineural local anesthetic injections as part of routine clinical care.
Procedure: Perineural Local Anesthetic Injection
Perineural injection of local anesthetic administered around periarticular sensory nerves of the knee as part of routine clinical practice.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Knee Pain Intensity (Visual Analog Scale [VAS])
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change in Knee Pain Intensity (Visual Analog Scale [VAS]) Change from baseline in knee pain intensity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 100-mm horizontal line anchored at 0 = no pain and 100 = worst imaginable pain; higher scores indicate worse pain.
Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Knee Range of Motion
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change in knee joint range of motion measured using goniometry.
Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change in Quadriceps Muscle Strength
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change in quadriceps muscle strength assessed by manual muscle testing.
Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change in Functional Status (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC])
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months
Change from baseline in WOMAC total score (and/or subscales: pain, stiffness, and physical function) assessing knee osteoarthritis-related symptoms. The WOMAC consists of 24 items with a total score ranging from 0 to 96; higher scores indicate worse symptoms and worse functional status.
Baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ankara Training 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)

February 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 16, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AnkaraTRH-FTR-NK-10
  • 2024-KAEK-40 (Ankara Etlik City Hospital Clinical Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. This is an observational, single-center study conducted in a hospital setting. The study includes sensitive clinical information, and individual-level data cannot be sufficiently de-identified for public sharing. Only aggregate results will be reported in scientific publications.

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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