Sciatica AcuteTGSNB vs SoCNCT07397117
Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care
A study testing nerve block with ropivacaine and Standard medical treatment in people with Sciatica Acute, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Sciatica Acute
- What is being tested?
- nerve block with ropivacaine and Standard medical treatment
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Injection or infusion, Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 26 May 2026to 31 Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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)
Who cannot join
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Felipe Ocampo, MD contact
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94107
Tianyu Tang, MD, 628-247-7578, tianyu.tang@ucsf.edu
Kavita Gandhi, MD
About this study
Official title: Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care for Emergency Department Patients With Low Back Pain and Sciatic Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
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?
Read more
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.
- Conditions
- Sciatica Acute
- Being tested
- nerve block with ropivacaine, Standard medical treatment
- Keywords
- sciatica, sciatic back pain, lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic radiculopathy
- Medical subject headings
- Sciatica, Radiculopathy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
nerve block with ropivacaineProcedure or surgery
Ultrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter
Standard medical treatmentOther
Standard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Transgluteal sciatic nerve block | Experimental | Patients will receive an ultrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter. Receives: Procedure: nerve block with ropivacaine |
| Standard of care | Active comparator | Standard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants). Receives: Other: Standard medical treatment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain scores
Patients in each group will be asked their pain score 30 minutes after their received intervention and at time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours). Patients will then be contacted 24 and 48 hours after intervention to ask their pain score
Measured: 30 minutes after intervention, time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours), 24 hours after ED visit, 48 hours after ED visit
Secondary outcomes (2)
Ambulatory status
Before ED disposition, patients will be asked to perform another timed up and go (TUG) test. A patient rises from a chair, walks at a normal pace to a line (3 meters total), turns, walks back, and sits down. Patients will then be contacted 24 and 48 hours after intervention to ask about how their ambulatory status is.
Measured: Before ED disposition, 24 and 48 hours after ED visit
ED Bouncback
A chart review will be performed after 30 days to assess bounce-back rate
Measured: 30 days after ED visit
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Feb 2026
- Study start26 May 2026
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Sciatica AcuteStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jeanne Noble, MD, Principal investigator, University of California, San Francisco
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07397117
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 25-44506
- Acronym
- TGSNB vs SoC
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Goldsmith AJ, Merz-Herrala J, Gullikson J, Selame LA, Cash RE, Martin D, Driver L, Schwimmer H, Shokoohi H, Duggan NM, Nagdev A. The Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Sciatic Nerve Blocks for Sciatic Radiculopathy Pain in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Apr 10;6(3):100137. doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100137. eCollection 2025 Jun.
PubMed 40256350
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Comparing Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Nerve Block to Standard Care for Emergency Department Patients With Low Back Pain and Sciatic Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07397117
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- TGSNB vs SoC / 25-44506
- Conditions
- Sciatica Acute
- Keywords
- sciatica, sciatic back pain, lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic radiculopathy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 26 May 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 9 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Transgluteal sciatic nerve block | Experimental | Procedure: nerve block with ropivacainePatients will receive an ultrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter. |
| Standard of care | Active comparator | Other: Standard medical treatmentStandard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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)
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| nerve block with ropivacaineUltrasound-guided transgluteal sciatic nerve block with 10-20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine injected around the affected sciatic nerve at the level of the greater trochanter | Procedure or surgery | Transgluteal sciatic nerve block |
| Standard medical treatmentStandard ED analgesic management per departmental protocols (oral/IV NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, muscle relaxants). | Other | Standard of care |
Primary outcome
Pain scores
Time frame: 30 minutes after intervention, time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours), 24 hours after ED visit, 48 hours after ED visit
Patients in each group will be asked their pain score 30 minutes after their received intervention and at time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours). Patients will then be contacted 24 and 48 hours after intervention to ask their pain score
2 secondary outcomes
Ambulatory status
Time frame: Before ED disposition, 24 and 48 hours after ED visit
ED Bouncback
Time frame: 30 days after ED visit
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Jun 2026.
- Background: PubMed 40256350Goldsmith AJ, Merz-Herrala J, Gullikson J, Selame LA, Cash RE, Martin D, Driver L, Schwimmer H, Shokoohi H, Duggan NM, Nagdev A. The Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Transgluteal Sciatic Nerve Blocks for Sciatic Radiculopathy Pain in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Apr 10;6(3):100137. doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100137. eCollection 2025 Jun.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Felipe Ocampo, MD contact
Jeanne Noble, MD principal investigator
University of California, San Francisco
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing nerve block with ropivacaine and Standard medical treatment in people with Sciatica Acute, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Tianyu Tang, MD (628-247-7578, tianyu.tang@ucsf.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain scores (time frame: 30 minutes after intervention, time of ED disposition (at decision point of admission to the hospital or discharge which can be up to 6 hours), 24 hours after ED visit, 48 hours after ED visit). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07397117, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jun 2026.