Betamethasone vs Dextrose Injections in Trigger Finger

NCT07681804 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: TF-Dextrose-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 42
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided betamethasone and dextrose injections in patients with trigger finger. Trigger finger is a common hand condition characterized by pain, clicking, and locking of the finger due to tendon entrapment at the A1 pulley. Corticosteroid injections are widely used as a first-line treatment; however, they may be associated with potential side effects. Dextrose injection is an alternative treatment that may promote tissue healing through regenerative mechanisms. However, there is limited high-quality evidence regarding its effectiveness in trigger finger. In this randomized controlled trial, patients will be assigned to receive either betamethasone or dextrose injection under ultrasound guidance. The primary outcome will be pain intensity measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes will include triggering severity, hand function, grip and pinch strength, and fine motor skills evaluated over a 12-week follow-up period. The results of this study may help determine whether dextrose injection is a safe and effective alternative to corticosteroid treatment in trigger finger.

Conditions

Trigger Finger

Keywords

Trigger finger; Stenosing tenosynovitis; Ultrasound-guided injection; Betamethasone injection; Dextrose injection; A1 pulley; QuickDASH; Modified Quinnell classification

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in pain intensity assessed by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)

  Pain intensity will be evaluated using the 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst imaginable pain.

  Baseline, 1 hour, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change in triggering severity assessed by Modified Quinnell classification

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

• Change in hand function assessed by QuickDASH

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

• Change in grip strength

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

• Change in pinch strength

  Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

• Change in fine motor skills assessed by Purdue Pegboard test

  Baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Betamethasone Injection

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will receive an ultrasound-guided injection of 1 ml lidocaine combined with 1 ml betamethasone at the A1 pulley level for the treatment of trigger finger.

Drug: Betamethasone

Dextrose Injection

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will receive an ultrasound-guided injection of 1 ml lidocaine combined with 1 ml 30% dextrose solution (final concentration 15%) at the A1 pulley level for the treatment of trigger finger.

Other: Dextrose Injection

Interventions

Betamethasone DRUG

Ultrasound-guided injection of 1 ml lidocaine combined with 1 ml betamethasone administered at the A1 pulley level for the treatment of trigger finger.

Also known as: Corticosteroid injection

Betamethasone Injection

Dextrose Injection OTHER

Ultrasound-guided injection of 1 ml lidocaine combined with 1 ml 30% dextrose solution resulting in a final concentration of 15% dextrose, administered at the A1 pulley level for the treatment of trigger finger.

Dextrose Injection

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age between 18 and 75 years
• Clinical diagnosis of trigger finger
• Presence of symptoms for at least 4 weeks

You may not qualify if:

• Previous surgery on the affected finger
• Injection treatment to the affected finger within the previous 3 months
• Active local or systemic infection
• Active malignancy
• Active inflammatory rheumatic disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, vasculitis)
• Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and/or uncontrolled hypertension
• Autoimmune connective tissue diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren syndrome, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, adult-onset Still's disease)
• Coagulopathy that increases the risk of injection procedures
• Pregnancy
• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to lidocaine, betamethasone, or dextrose
• Mental impairment or severe psychiatric disorder that may interfere with study participation or informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine

Istanbul, 34098, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• Liu DH, Tsai MW, Lin SH, Chou CL, Chiu JW, Chiang CC, Kao CL. Ultrasound-Guided Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Trigger Finger: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Dec;96(12):2120-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.08.421. Epub 2015 Sep 1.

  PMID: 26340807 BACKGROUND

• Rahman AN, Herman H, Bujangga KG, Sugiarto J. Grade III bilateral trigger thumbs treated by prolotherapy: a case report. World Journal of Current Medical and Pharmaceutical Research. 2022;4(6):143-146.

  BACKGROUND

• Yoon Y, Hwang JH, Lee J, Suryadi T, Suhaimi A, Shim J, Lam KHS. Unusual Triggering of the Finger Caused by Distal Flexor Tendinopathy: Successful Treatment With Ultrasound-Guided Prolotherapy. Cureus. 2025 Dec 19;17(12):e99605. doi: 10.7759/cureus.99605. eCollection 2025 Dec.

  PMID: 41555987 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Trigger Finger Disorder; Tendon Entrapment

Interventions

Betamethasone; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Glucose

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tendinopathy; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pregnadienetriols; Pregnadienes; Pregnanes; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Polycyclic Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Hexoses; Monosaccharides; Sugars; Carbohydrates

Central Study Contacts

Merve Yıldız, MD

CONTACT

+905350229993; merveyildizdr@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants, the injector investigator, and the outcome assessor will be blinded to treatment allocation. Injections will be prepared by an independent researcher using opaque-covered syringes so that the injector investigator will not be aware of the injected solution. Randomization will be performed by an independent researcher who will not participate in outcome assessment.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants will be randomized into two parallel groups to receive either ultrasound-guided betamethasone injection or ultrasound-guided dextrose injection.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2026
• First Posted: July 2, 2026
• Study Start: June 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Locations

TU (1)