The Ultrasound-Guided Dextrose Prolotherapy in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Patients

Starting soon · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Low Back Pain, Sacroiliac Instability

In brief

1. Specific Aim: To show the safety and efficacy of prolotherapy injection for chronic sacroiliac and myofascial lumbar pain while standardizing an ultrasound guided injection technique 2. Specific Aim: To demonstrate that dextrose prolotherapy subjectively decreases lumbar back pain (LBP) associated with chronic sacroiliac (SI) and myofascial lumbar back pain/injury in patients with Hypermobile-Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). 3. Specific Aim: To use ultrasound (US) guidance to identify SI and myofascial lumbar back pain/injury for targeted dextrose prolotherapy treatment and to provide objective measures of decreasing inflammation via Power Doppler and ligament repair. 4. Specific Aim: To determine if US-guided dextrose prolotherapy decreases the direct costs of care for chronic LBP in contrast to conventional therapies by reducing return visits, specialty referrals, physical therapy, medications, and unnecessary procedures.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT05279937
Run by: Tulane University
People needed: 40
Starts: 2026-06-01
Expected to finish: 2027-06-01
Last updated by the study team: 2026-03-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Men and women between the ages of 18-75
Subjects who resent to Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine and Tulane Lakeside with low back pain that is diagnosed as chronic (>3 months) SI dysfunction or myofascial lumbar pain with a diagnosis of hEDS per The International Consortium on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Related Disorders diagnostic criteria.
Diagnosis will include but not be limited to physical exam findings consistent with tenderness to palpation over the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) or posterior superior iliac crest, and upper outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus.
Diagnosis will also include US-guided tenderness to palpation of the thoracolumbar facial complex insertion into the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS), SI, or gluteus maximus.
Further testing will include US evaluation using a General Electric Logiq E ultrasound machine to look for any evidence of structural abnormality or reactive hyperemia of the TLFC, LPSL, multifidus or gluteus maximus.

You may not qualify if…

Patients >75 and < 18 years old.
Any patient with evidence of lumbar radiculopathy, acute lower back pain, pregnancy, prior lumbosacral surgery, opiate use within the last 6 months, steroid exposure within 6 weeks, NSAID exposure within 2 weeks.
Patients who are unwilling to stop taking or admit to receiving NSAIDs or any form of corticosteroids during the study.
Patients with a history of bleeding disorders, severe thrombocytopenia, immunodeficiency disorder, and hypersensitivity of local anesthetics of amide type will be excluded along with any patient who actively has systemic bacterial infection with fever, skin infection over the injection site, or takes anti-platelet/anti-coagulant medication.
Patients with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or any other condition that increases risk of infection may be excluded from the study pending severity and current treatment of their condition.
Patients receiving workers compensation, disability or who are involved in litigation will also be excluded due to risk of secondary gain.
Physical exam findings, X-rays, and US imaging will be utilized to determine eligibility.

Where it is running

Tulane Hospital and Clinics — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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