An interventional study of physical therapy and physical therapy + espb in Low Back Pain, sponsored by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital. Completed at 2 sites in Turkey. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-06-11.
Sponsored by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Degenerative (de novo) scoliosis is the result of a long and multifactorial process that occurs through degenerative change in the aging population without a pre-existing spinal deformity. Pain is the most important symptom and the major difference from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Treatment is often complex and patient-specific. The first aim of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy on pain, disability and quality of life in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis and the second aim is to investigate whether erector spina plan block (ESPB) combined with physical therapy has an effect on the results.
Patients over 60 years of age, with low back or low back-leg pain for at least 3 months, who had received pharmacologic treatment but did not respond, and diagnosed with degenerative lumbar scoliosis are included in the study. Patients are randomized into to groups according to the interventions as: physical therapy group (G-1) and physical therapy and ESPB injection group (G-2). The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity). Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone are administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterallyThe primary endpoint of the study is pain intensity assasment by using a numerical rating scale (NRS), and secondary endpoints are functional status, quality of life and disability status assasment by using SRS-22 and Oswestry disability index. Patients are evaluated before and 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after treatment. In the 2nd group, pain intensity at 1 hour after injection is additionally evaluated with a NRS. As a result of the power analysis, the minimum sample size was planned as a total of 16 patients with 8 patients in each group with a 15% dropout rate. Shapiro Wilk test is applied to examine the normality of the data distribution. The difference between groups is evaluated by Mann Whitney U according to normal distribution and by ANOVA for time-dependent within-group change.
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This study's enrollment of 26 is below the median of 44 across 344 interventional studies indexed under Scoliosis.
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Exclusion Criteria:
The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity)
Other: physical therapy
same physical therapy program, in addition Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone is administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterally.
Other: physical therapy + espb
The physical therapy program is planned as a total of 15 sessions in the lumbar region, each session consisting of TENS (50-100 Hz stimulation frequency, 200 µs pulse duration, intensity is increased as much as the patient could tolerate, 20 minutes in total), hotpack (to be placed on the painful area, 20 minutes), US (1 mHz frequency, 10 minutes, 1.5 watt/cm2 intensity).
the same physical therapy program, in addition Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB is performed using an in-line cephalic approach, and after contacting the corner of the L3 transverse process, a small dose of saline is injected into the fascial space between the L3 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles to "lift off" the fascia. After verification, a mixture of 20 mL of 1% lidocaine and 3 mg betamethasone is administered for unilateral injection. The procedure is performed bilaterally.
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Time frame: Day 0
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Time frame: 1 hour after injection
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Time frame: 1 week after physical treatment
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Time frame: 1 month after physical treatment
NRS (Numeric Rating Scale)
Pain Intensity Assessment ( 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable"
Time frame: 3 month after physical treatment
SRS-22
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
Time frame: Day 0
SRS-22
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
Time frame: 1 week after physical treatment
SRS-22
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
Time frame: 1 month after physical treatment
SRS-22
22 questions make up the SRS-22, which covers five domains: function/activity, pain, self-perceived image, mental health, and satisfaction with therapy. Scores range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for each item.
Time frame: 3 month after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
Time frame: Day 0
Oswestry Disability Index
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
Time frame: 1 week after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
Time frame: 1 month after physical treatment
Oswestry Disability Index
Each item has six statements and is scored between 0 and 5. The overall score is then calculated as a percentage, with 0% denoting no disability and 100% denoting the highest level of disability, with 0 denoting the least disability and 5 denoting the worst.
Time frame: 3 month after physical treatment
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital