An interventional study of MTrPs Injection and Intra-articular(IA) Injection in Myofascial Trigger Points, Migraine and Cervicogenic Headache, sponsored by Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 45 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-08.
Sponsored by Beijing Tiantan Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a common disease in China, with a high incidence among the elderly, and has a significant impact on patients' quality of life. Knee osteoarthritis is a common type of CMP. Currently, both domestic and international studies have confirmed that glucocorticoid injection at myofascial trigger points(MTrPs) can alleviate patients' pain symptoms. MTrPs injection is safe and easy to operate, and can improve the clinical management efficiency of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, we designed a prospective, randomized controlled, blinded outcome, non-inferiority study to compare the long-term clinical efficacy of glucocorticoid injection at myofascial trigger points and complex intra-articular injection in treating knee osteoarthritis. Patients will be randomly divided into two groups and receive either glucocorticoid injection at MTrPs or joint cavities. After treatment, patients will be followed up for 2 years. Their NRS scores, WOMAC scores, Patient Global Impression of Change(PGIC) scale, and adverse reactions will be recorded at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. If the results indicate that the clinical efficacy of myofascial trigger point injection for knee osteoarthritis is not inferior to that of injection at intra-articular injection, it will provide a safe and simple treatment option that is easy to promote for patients who do not respond to conservative treatment.
1,657 studies on the registry are indexed under Migraine Disorders; 339 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 238 is above the median of 80 across 1,269 interventional studies indexed under Migraine Disorders.
Browse Migraine Disorders studies →Beijing Tiantan Hospital is the lead sponsor of 489 studies on the registry; 293 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Joint cavity injection with triamcinolone acetonide
Procedure: Intra-articular(IA) Injection
MTrPs injection with triamcinolone acetonide.
Procedure: MTrPs Injection
Each MTrP is identified by palpation, no more than 10 of the most painful MTrPS are selected for injection. Prior to treatment, the assessed MTrPs are marked with a permanent marker. Each MTrP receiving 1 mL of injection volume. The injection solution is prepared with normal saline, lidocaine and 0.5 ml TA (40mg/ml) to the volume required for treatment. A 25-gauge needle is used to inject perpendicular to the skin surface at the selected MTrPs, with the solution administered as a single bolus into each MTrP within 10 seconds.
Patients in the IA injection group will receive an IA knee injection via an anterolateral approach. The injection solution is prepared using 0.5 mL of 1% lidocaine and 0.5 mL of TA (40 mg/mL). The IA injection will be performed under ultrasound guidance to guarantee and reduce the incidence of bleeding or infection.
the change from baseline in the WOMAC score
The WOMAC assesses pain, stiffness, and physical function, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms and greater functional limitation.
Time frame: at the 4-weeks
the change from baseline in the WOMAC scores
The WOMAC(Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) is a standardized instrument specifically designed to assess symptoms and function in patients with knee/hip osteoarthritis. It comprises three dimensions with a total of 24 items: pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function in daily activities (17 items). It utilizes a Likert scale (0-4 points, 0 = no symptoms), with a total score range of 0-96 points (or standardized to 0-100 points). Higher scores indicate greater functional impairment.
Time frame: at the weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24
NRS pain scores
The pain intensity of the knee will be measured based on NRS, where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents worst pain imaginable.
Time frame: At the weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24
The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale
The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale is a patient-rated instrument used to evaluate overall change in status following treatment. It employs a 7-point Likert scale (1 = "very much worse" to 7 = "very much improved"), focusing on the patient's subjective perception of symptoms, function, and quality of life. The evaluation criterion defines a score of 5 or higher as indicative of "improvement" (mild/moderate/marked), a score of 4 as "no change," and scores of 3 or below as "worsening."
Time frame: at the weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24
Knee performance
including nee flexion, extension deficit, maximal flexion, and total range of motion
Time frame: at baseline and at the weeks 4, 12, and 24
Myofascial outcomes
including the number of active myofascial trigger points, pressure pain thresholds at predefined trigger-point sites, pain intensity during standardized palpation, and reproduction of the participant's usual knee pain
Time frame: at baseline and at the weeks 4, 12, and 24
Health-related quality of life
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L).
Time frame: at baseline and the weeks 4, 12, and 24
Rescue analgesic consumption, additional knee-related treatments, unscheduled medical visits, and clinically relevant pain recurrence
Rescue analgesic consumption, additional knee-related treatments, unscheduled medical visits, and clinically relevant pain recurrence
Time frame: throughout the 24-week follow-up period
Adverse Reactions
Any systemic adverse reactions related to corticosteroids such as hyperglycemic reactions, infection at the puncture site, and intra-articular infection.
Time frame: throughout the 24-week follow-up period.
Plan to share: Yes
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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