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Endogenous Opioid Response to Injections
Antagonism of Endogenous Opioids: Use in Interpretation of Injections
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Capable of understanding and providing consent in English and capable of complying with the outcome instruments used * ≥3 months low back pain with persistent limiting symptoms despite conventional treatment (physical therapy and oral medications) * Low back pain NRS ≥ 4/10 in intensity on 7-day average and at time of lumbar medial branch block Exclusion Criteria: * Daily use of opioid medications or recreational drugs, or if using opioids PRN, report of opioid use within the 3 days prior to participating in the protocol * Positive urine drug screen for opioid medication on the day of naloxone administration * Allergy to naloxone * Refusal of or failure to place IV * Previous LMBB or LMBRN * Known spine condition that may affect the ability to diagnose or treat facet pain or lead to spine surgery (e.g. instability, severe spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, previous spine operation resulting in alteration of anatomy targeted by LMBB or LMBRFN) * Active medical condition that would limit the safety of naloxone administration (e.g. severe kidney or liver failure, unstable cardiac disease, infection, severe coagulopathy) * Psychiatric, medical, neurologic, or pain-related disorder that may compromise the ability of the patient to accurately report changes in low back pain * Requirement for procedural sedation to tolerate LMBB
About the study
This study will study pain relief after spine injections that are used to guide care. Some improvements in pain from a procedure might be from placebo effect rather than the physiological effect of the procedure. The study will use naloxone to reverse the effect of the body's internal placebo system after a spine injection, so the placebo effect and the injection effect can be measured separately. This process may improve the understanding of spine injections and their ability to guide pain care.
What is being tested
- Normal saline infusion (drug)
- Naloxone infusion (drug)
Sponsor: Middle Tennessee Research Institute · Participants: 33 · Started: Aug 22, 2024
Contact the study team
- William E Rivers, DO · Phone: 859-513-9793
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06666621
Locations in the U.S.
| Tennessee | VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.