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Study on the Effects of Oxygen-ozone Therapy on Back Pain in Subjects Aged 65 or Older

Phase 4
Conditions
Back Pain
Interventions
Drug: Intramuscular/paravertebral injections of Oxygen-Ozone
Other: Simulated intramuscular/paravertebral injections
Registration Number
NCT01709058
Lead Sponsor
Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani
Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of back pain in subjects aged 65 or older. In particular, the intramuscular injection technique/paravertebral of oxygen-ozone mixture, a minimal invasive treatment with respect to intradiscal infiltration/intraforaminal technique, will be used.

Detailed Description

Back pain is a leading cause of disability, including impairment in activities of daily living. In particular, the persistence of low back pain is more frequent in the elderly, associated with functional limitations and difficulties to perform tasks in everyday life. In addition to pharmacological treatments, various non-surgical interventional procedures are used for the treatment of low back pain. Some recent studies have evaluated the interventional oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) therapy in the treatment of back pain. However, these results are based on the technique of intradiscal infiltration / intraforaminal of O2-O3, while the intramuscular injection technique / paravertebral is the most widely used in clinical practice in Italy. In general, minimally invasive treatments such as percutaneous infiltration, are well tolerated and have been shown to produce clinical results, although the number of controlled studies is still scarce and the studies are often not comparable. Taking into account the above considerations, it seems appropriate to try to broaden the knowledge on the use of O2-O3 in the treatment of low back pain, using the technique of intramuscular injection / paravertebral, with particular reference to the elderly population.

The primary objective of this trial is therefore to evaluate the effects of O2-O3 therapy in the treatment of back pain associated with lumbar disc disease using the technique of intramuscular injection/paravertebral. These effects will be evaluated after a 6 weeks treatment period and after a 3 months follow-up period.

The project will include 130 subjects aged 65 or older who will be randomly enrolled in two different types of intervention:

* Oxygen-ozone therapy

* Simulated treatment

fully described below in the section: Interventions

In addition to clinical evaluations, the trial will contribute to the study of biological bases of the O2-O3 therapy as the levels of trace elements, oxidative status and antioxidant capacity in plasma will be evaluated.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
130
Inclusion Criteria
  • patients aged 65 or older
  • intervertebral disc degeneration
  • back pain persistent for at least 6 weeks
  • painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs
  • ODI score at baseline between 30 and 80%
Exclusion Criteria
  • heart failure
  • favism
  • clinically hyperthyroidism
  • cancer and concomitant chemo-or radio-therapy
  • epilepsy
  • asthma
  • life expectancy of 6 months or less
  • psychotic drugs
  • clinical signs of radiculopathy
  • polyradiculopathy
  • progressive neurological deficit
  • lumbar stenosis
  • spondylolisthesis
  • diabetic neuropathy

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Intramuscular/paravertebral injections of Oxygen-OzoneIntramuscular/paravertebral injections of Oxygen-OzoneThis group will be treated with "Intramuscular/paravertebral injections of Oxygen-Ozone" twice a week for six weeks
Simulated treatmentSimulated intramuscular/paravertebral injectionsThe "Simulated intramuscular/paravertebral injections" will mimic the Oxygen-Ozone injections in the area to be treated by pricking the skin with the needle without drilling. These simulated injections will be performed twice a week for six weeks.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)6 weeks

The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is used to investigate the functional impairment in activities of daily living related to low back pain. The ODI is one of the main measuring instruments necessary for the evaluation of disability from pain and is considered the gold standard for evaluation of disability in low back pain. It consists of 10 questions with multiple answers in which the patient chooses the answer that comes closest to its current state or to that of the last 2 weeks.

Response to treatment is considered as a binary classification: "success" if the Oswestry Disability Index is between 0 and 20% (minimal disability) and "failure" in the other cases.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
intake of paracetamol6 weeks

The use of paracetamol is allowed during the study period for the treatment of low back pain, at a dose of no more than 4 grams a day

oxidative stress6 weeks

The evaluation of oxidative stress by the d-ROMs test and total antioxidant capacity by the anti-ROMs test will be performed.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment by INTERRAI-MDS-HC/VAOR-ADI instrument6 weeks

identification information, personal data at admission, assessment date, cognitive function, communication and vision, mood and behaviour, physical function, incontinence, diagnosis of the disease, health conditions, oral and nutrition status, skin conditions, medications, treatment and procedures, advanced directives, discharge potential, discharge, assessment information, anamnestic-clinical data, standardised clinical assessment, physical performance tests

Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)3 months follow-up

The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is used to investigate the functional impairment in activities of daily living related to low back pain. The ODI is one of the main measuring instruments necessary for the evaluation of disability from pain and is considered the gold standard for evaluation of disability in low back pain. It consists of 10 questions with multiple answers in which the patient chooses the answer that comes closest to its current state or to that of the last 2 weeks.

Response to treatment is considered as a binary classification: "success" if the Oswestry Disability Index is between 0 and 20% (minimal disability) and "failure" in the other cases.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

INRCA Hospital, via della Montagnola, 81

🇮🇹

Ancona, Italy

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