Recruiting

Corticosteroid Injections

Sponsor:

University of Chicago

Code:

NCT06651788

Conditions

Injection Fear

Injection Pain Prevention

Injection Complication

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Ethyl Chloride

Cold Saline Spray

Study Details

Brief summary:

A procedure frequently performed by orthopaedic providers is the administration of corticosteroid injections for the management of various soft tissues and joint-related conditions, such as osteoarthritis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and de Quervain's tenosynovitis. While these injections have demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating symptoms, the discomfort associated with the procedure can be a source of anxiety and apprehension for patients. This discomfort arises from the sensation of the needle entering the affected area and the burning sensation induced by the corticosteroid solution.

Conditions

Injection Fear

Injection Pain Prevention

Injection Complication

Study ID

NCT06651788

Start date

Apr 1, 2025

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Dec 1, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years and older
  • Receiving a corticosteroid injection in an upper or lower extremity (to include soft tissue and joint injections) for the first time

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with previous injection experiences

Study Design

Enrollment

300 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Freeze spray group

Ethyl Chloride Usage Prior to Orthopaedic Injections

placebo comparator: Placebo application of cold saline spray

Saline spray before injection

no intervention: No spray prior to injection

No intervention before injection

Interventions

Ethyl Chloride

Topical anesthetic that rapidly cools the skin and underlying tissues

Cold Saline Spray

placebo application of cold saline spray

Primary outcome measure

  • To determine if freeze spray usage before corticosteroid injections significantly reduces patient discomfort during the procedure as measured by pain scores before injection [ Time Frame: 10 minutes before subject receives injection ]
  • To determine if freeze spray usage before corticosteroid injections significantly reduces patient discomfort during the procedure as measured by pain scores after injeciton [ Time Frame: 10 minutes after subject receives injection ]
  • To assess patient perception of freeze spray efficacy in decreasing anxiety regarding injections. [ Time Frame: 10 minutes after subject receives injection ]
  • To assess their current overall status compared to their pre-injection baseline [ Time Frame: 10 minutes after subject receives injection ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jennifer M Wolf, MD, PhD

773-834-3531jwolf@bsd.uchicago.edu

Jordan Swindle, MD

jordan.swindle@uchicagomedicine.org

Locations

University of Chicago

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637

Contacts

Jennifer M Wolf, MD

773-834-3531jmwolf@uchicagomedicine.org

Michael K Koch, Bachelor's

7738340822mkoch@bsd.uchicago.edu

Principal Investigator:

Jennifer M Wolf, MD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Chicago

Last update posted

Jul 9, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Keywords

  • Injection
  • Freeze spray
  • corticosteroid injections
  • Ethyl chloride
  • Orthopeadics

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Chicago on 2026-07-09.