Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care

NCT07397117 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 25-44506
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare transgluteal sciatic nerve block to standard of care to treat sciatic back pain in adult patients who present to the emergency department. The main question it aims to answer is: Is a transgluteal sciatic nerve block better than standard of care in improving pain in ER patients with sciatic back pain? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare patients who receive transgluteal sciatic nerve blocks to patients who receive standard of care to see if pain scores improve in ER patients with sciatic back pain. Participants will be randomized into the transgluteal sciatic nerve block group or the control group (standard of care). Participants will be asked to answer questions about their pain and will be asked to walk a timed short distance.

Conditions

Sciatica Acute

Keywords

sciatica; sciatic back pain; lumbar radiculopathy; sciatic radiculopathy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Pain scores

  Patients in each group will be asked their pain score 30 minutes after their received intervention and at time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours). Patients will then be contacted 24 and 48 hours after intervention to ask their pain score

  30 minutes after intervention, time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours), 24 hours after ED visit, 48 hours after ED visit

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Ambulatory status

  Before ED disposition, 24 and 48 hours after ED visit

• ED Bouncback

  30 days after ED visit

Study Arms (2)

Transgluteal sciatic nerve block

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients will receive an ultrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter.

Procedure: nerve block with ropivacaine

Standard of care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Standard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants).

Other: Standard medical treatment

Interventions

nerve block with ropivacaine PROCEDURE

Ultrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter

Transgluteal sciatic nerve block

Standard medical treatment OTHER

Standard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants).

Standard of care

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 18 years and older
• Presentation to ED with:
• Acute or acute-on-chronic pain consistent with sciatica, defined as unilateral lumbosacral radicular pain radiating from the lower back or gluteal region to the posterior leg, may extend distal to the knee.
• Pain score ≥ 5/10 on Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)

You may not qualify if:

• Known allergy to study medications (e.g., local anesthetics)
• Coagulopathy or current anticoagulation therapy
• Suspected or confirmed spinal infection, or tumor
• Neurological deficits (bowel or bladder dysfunction, leg weakness)
• Inability to provide informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94107, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Goldsmith AJ, Merz-Herrala J, Gullikson J, Selame LA, Cash RE, Martin D, Schwimmer H, Shokoohi H, Duggan NM, Nagdev A. The Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Sciatic Nerve Blocks for Sciatic Radiculopathy Pain in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Apr 10;6(3):100137. doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100137. eCollection 2025 Jun.

  PMID: 40256350 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sciatica; Radiculopathy

Interventions

Nerve Block; Ropivacaine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sciatic Neuropathy; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neuralgia; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Anesthesia, Conduction; Anesthesia; Anesthesia and Analgesia; Denervation; Neurosurgical Procedures; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Anilides; Amides; Organic Chemicals; Aniline Compounds; Amines

Study Officials

• Jeanne Noble, MD

  University of California, San Francisco

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Tianyu Tang, MD

CONTACT

628-247-7578; tianyu.tang@ucsf.edu

Felipe Ocampo, MD

CONTACT

felipe.ocampo@ucsf.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 25, 2026
• First Posted: February 9, 2026
• Study Start: May 26, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027
• Last Updated: June 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)