Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Trigger Point Injection for Chronic Thoracic Myofascial Pain

Recruiting now · Phase 4

Conditions studied: Back Pain

In brief

Chronic thoracic (mid-back) pain can be difficult to treat, and there is limited evidence to guide the use of injection therapies for pain arising from muscles and surrounding soft tissues. Two commonly used treatments are trigger point injections (TPI) and erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks, but no studies have directly compared their effectiveness for chronic thoracic myofascial pain. The purpose of this study is to compare pain relief, physical function, emotional well-being, patient satisfaction, and safety following treatment with either an ESP block or TPI. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two treatments. Researchers will follow participants for up to 12 weeks after the procedure and collect information through questionnaires and pain assessments.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07632820

Run by

Mayo Clinic

People needed

76

Starts

2026-08-01

Expected to finish

2029-08-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-08

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 80. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged 18-80 years
• Chronic thoracic myofascial pain lasting at least three months
• Pain intensity of ≥4 on 11-point NRS
• At least two of three following conditions: Focal thoracic paraspinal pain, palpable taut band, referred pain pattern with palpation

You may not qualify if…

• Thoracic radiculopathy
• Cervical myelopathy with neurological deficit
• Prior cervicothoracic spine surgery
• Pregnancy or lactation
• Contraindication to local anesthetic
• Active malignancy
• Fibromyalgia
• BMI >40 kg/m2
• Workers' compensation or active litigation related to thoracic pain
• Acute herpes zoster or history of postherpetic neuralgia involving thoracic dermatomes
• Current opioid use >50 morphine milligram equivalents daily
• Severe psychiatric or cognitive disorders, specifically history of schizophrenia, chronic psychotic disorders, dementia
• History of substance use disorder
• Inability to provide informed consent

Where it is running

• Mayo Clinic — Rochester, Minnesota, United States (enrolling)
• Mayo Clinic — Jacksonville, Florida, United States
• University of Maryland — Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center — Columbus, Ohio, United States
• MD Anderson Cancer Center — Houston, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.