Are Paraspinous Intramuscular Injections of Botulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) Efficient in the Treatment of Chronic Low-back Pain (LBP)?

Chronic Low-back Pain Clinical Trial

— BoNT-A  

Official title:

Are Paraspinous Intramuscular Injections of Botulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) Efficient in the Treatment of Chronic Low-back Pain?

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03181802
• Other study ID #: CHUBX2003
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• First received: May 29, 2017
• Last updated: June 8, 2017
• Start date: November 18, 2003
• Est. completion date: May 8, 2005

Study information

• Verified date: May 2017
• Source: University Hospital, Bordeaux
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Studying the therapeutic effect of paravertebral injections of BoNT-A (botulinum toxin A) requires further studies to confirm the reported short-term therapeutic effect and to determine potential predictive factors of efficacy.

Description:

This study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial comparing BoNT-A Type A injections to a placebo in patients with chronic Low-back Pain (LBP). This superiority trial obtained support from the French Hospital Clinical Research Project (PHRC) and the approval of a French ethics committee (2003/02) ("Comité Sud-Ouest et Outre-Mer III", consent obtained in February 2003).

The number of participants included in the study was chosen to be similar as those included in previous studies, that showed a strong positive effect of BoNT-A injections on LBP. Furthermore, the design of our study (i.e. a crossover) increased the power of the statistical analysis. A scientific committee has been solicited at this step, after including 19 patients, to assess the results.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 19
• Est. completion date: May 8, 2005
• Est. primary completion date: May 5, 2005
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• LBP defined as a pain located between the thoracic lumbar hinge and the gluteal sulcus, where pain had evolved over a period of 6 months despite well conducted medical treatment, self-assessed lumbar pain intensity over 50 millimeters long on a visual analogue scale of 100 millimeters (0=no pain; 100=maximal pain),

• having been on sick leave for 60 or more days in the year preceding the inclusion (in order to include patients with high consequences of chronic low-back pain on their work),

• same long-term chronic pain treatment for at least 6 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• age under 18 or over 55 years (to avoid secondary causes of low back pain, like spinal tumor),

• ongoing pregnancy or breast-feeding,

• a neuromuscular pathology (myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myopathy, polymyositis), aminoglycoside treatment at the time of inclusion,

• skin infection at injection points,

• diabetes and alcoholism (in order to avoid other etiologies of chronic pain),

• a history of injecting BoNT-A A,

• anticoagulation treatment, sciatica,

• suspected spinal inflammatory disorder (spondylitis, inflammatory rheumatism, tumoral pathology),

• a failed back surgery syndrome (when surgery failed to relieve low-back pain), - incapacity to stand, cardiorespiratory deficiency which does not allow the isokinetic exploration of the spinal muscles,

• cognitive disorders limiting patient participation,

• conflicts of interest owing to existing pain (unconsolidated work accident, ongoing damage compensation).

• Spine infection, tumour or trauma had been specifically excluded by an MRI done by all patients before the inclusion in the present study.

• No patient was allowed to take opiates during the time of the study,

• facet joint injections were also not permitted during the study period.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Back Pain
• Chronic Low-back Pain
• Low Back Pain

Intervention

Drug:
• Botox
single injection of 200 International Unit of BoNT-A in 10 bilateral paravertebral intramuscular points for treating chronic LBP
• Placebos
4 ml of physiological serum injected intramuscularly into the lumbar paravertebral muscles.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
France	Bordeaux University Hospital	Bordeaux

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University Hospital, Bordeaux

Country where clinical trial is conducted

France, 

References & Publications (1)

Foster et al., 2001 and Machado et al., 2016

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	effect of paravertebral injections of BoNT-A, 30 days after its administration in chronic LBP sufferers.	Pain intensity was measured on a horizontal visual analogue scale (VAS) 100 mm long, with " no pain " written on one end and " maximum pain " on the other. The question asked was: "How was the intensity of your LBP over the last 8 days?"	Day 30
Secondary	Evaluate the analgesic effect of paravertebral injections of BoNT-A, 90 days after its administration in chronic LBP sufferers.	Initial pain was detailed as follows: Immediate average LBP was recorded on VAS at the first injection	Day 90
Secondary	Measure the impact of paravertebral injections of 200 IU of BoNT-A in a single administration on lumbar stiffness and on spinal extensor muscle strength in patients with chronic LBP.	Lumbar pain intensity was measured on a horizontal visual analogue scale 100 mm long, with " no pain " written on one end and "maximum pain" on the other. The question asked was: "How was the intensity of your LBP over the last 8 days?" The question asked was: "How was the intensity of your LBP over the last 8 days?"	Day 30
Secondary	Measure the impact of paravertebral injections of 200 IU of BoNT-A in a single administration on lumbar stiffness and on spinal extensor muscle strength in patients with chronic LBP.	Lumbar pain intensity was measured on a horizontal visual analogue scale 100 mm long, with " no pain " written on one end and "maximum pain" on the other. The question asked was: "How was the intensity of your LBP over the last 8 days?" The question asked was: "How was the intensity of your LBP over the last 8 days?"	Day 120

External Links

•   Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2011 Levels of Evidence