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Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care
Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care for Emergency Department Patients With Low Back Pain and Sciatic Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 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) Exclusion Criteria: * 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
About the study
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.
What is being tested
- nerve block with ropivacaine (procedure)
- Standard medical treatment (other)
Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Participants: 100 · Started: May 26, 2026
Contact the study team
- Tianyu Tang, MD · Phone: 628-247-7578
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07397117
Locations in the U.S.
| California | University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.