Intra-articular Injection of Lidocaine in Inflammatory Arthritis

Inflammatory Arthritis Clinical Trial

Official title:

Randomised Trial of Intra-articular Injection of Lidocaine Versus Placebo in Inflammatory Arthritis

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05302232
• Other study ID #: 311106
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 18, 2022
• Est. completion date: October 18, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: January 2022
• Source: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
• Contact: Bruce Kirkham
• Phone: 020 7188 5900
• Email: bruce.kirkham[@]gstt.nhs.uk
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

To assess the contributions of peripheral neurons to joint pain, the investigators plan to ask patients to rate the pain in their chosen joint before and after an injection of local anaesthetic (lidocaine) and steroid into their joint. Lidocaine blocks voltage gated sodium channels (VGSCs) leading to a reversible block of action potential propagation in peripheral nerves. If the pain intensity reduces significantly following lidocaine injection, it suggests that the patients' pain is due to peripheral sensitization, and that this is dampened by the local anaesthetic. If the pain intensity does not change or only falls slightly, then other centrally mediated factors are contributing to pain.

Before the investigators can use this method, the investigators need to ensure that reductions in pain score following joint injection are not due to placebo effect. Therefore, as part of this validation study patients will be randomised to receive either lidocaine plus steroid or, as a control, just steroid injection. The steroid is the main part of therapy as it relieves inflammation over a prolonged period, but is slower acting than lidocaine, and should not have an effect within ten minutes. Any improvement in ranking of pain within 10 minutes by patients receiving just steroid will therefore be due to placebo effect. The investigators hypothesis is that there will be a significant difference in change in pain score before and after injection between the study group (lidocaine plus steroid) and control group (0.9% saline plus steroid). This will confirm the absence of a significant placebo effect and mean the differences in change in pain scores seen in the study group are due to differences in pain processing

Description:

Patients will be randomised to receive joint injection of either lidocaine plus steroid or, as a control, just steroid injection. Pain scores (visual analogue score 0-10) in the chosen joint will be collected prior to injection and at 3, 5 and 10 minutes post injection. Pain scores will then again be collected at 1 month and 3 months to determine whether lidocaine reduced peripheral pain long term.

Intra-articular joint injection with steroids is a frequent procedure in usual care and the investigators will only perform this test when a joint injection +/- aspiration is clinically indicated. Use of lidocaine in addition to steroid injection varies between rheumatologists, with 50% of Guys' and St Thomas' Hospital rheumatologists routinely using lidocaine and steroid, and others giving steroid alone. Therefore, all patients will still receive the same intervention they would if they were not taking part in the study, the only difference is measurement of pain scores before and after.

In addition to collection of pain scores, the investigators will collect patient demographics and painDETECT questionnaire, a screening questionnaire which has been validated to identify neuropathic elements of pain in patients with IA.

The investigators hypothesis is that there will be a significant difference in change in pain score before and after injection between the study group (lidocaine plus steroid) and control group (0.9% saline plus steroid). This will confirm the absence of a significant placebo effect and mean the differences in change in pain scores seen in the study group are due to differences in pain processing.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 80
• Est. completion date: October 18, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: October 18, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of peripheral inflammatory joint disease

• Reporting current NRS pain =3 on a 0-10 scale

• Only perform this test when an aspiration and joint injection is clinically indicated and would be given as part of routine care

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years of age

• Unable or unwilling to provide informed written consent

• Unable to comply with study protocols

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding

• If the chosen joint has been aspirated or injected in the preceding 3 months

• Presence of joint damage in chosen joint as assessed by Professor Kirkham on x-ray of the chosen joint (as joint damage itself can stimulate peripheral nociceptors)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Arthritis
• Inflammatory Arthritis

Intervention

Diagnostic Test:
• depomedrone 40mg/ml + 1% lidocaine
Response to intra-articular injection of lidocaine as a diagnostic marker of peripheral pain
• depomedrone 40mg/ml+ 0.9% saline
Response to intra-articular injection of steroid only as a placebo

Other:
• painDETECT questionnaire
painDETECT questionnaire

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	pain score 5 minutes post-injection	Visual analogue pain score 0-10	5 minutes