Knee osteoarthritis (OA) can result in significant pain and limitation of function. A number of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to reduce pain in this condition. This study examines a different topical approach, utilizing a topical anesthetic agent, to evaluate if application of such an agent would provide relief of exercise-induced knee pain in people with knee OA.
Subjects participated in two visits each at least 1 week apart, where they underwent two exercise interventions - a baseline exercise without treatment and a experimental exercise with intervention (Synera patch or Inactive patch). Participants rated their pain on a NRS-11 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 60 minutes after both exercises, as well as 6 hours after the experimental exercise, before bedtime, and the following morning. Subjects were randomized to receive either Synera at the first visit and the inactive patch at the second visit or the inactive patch at the first visit and Synera patch at the second visit.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
40
70 mg lidocaine/ 70 mg tetracaine topical patch applied once for 12 hours
placebo patch applied once for 12 hours
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Index Knee Pain Scores on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
Subject rated index knee pain 5 minutes after stopped experimental exercise (with intervention). Index knee pain was reported using the Numeric Rating Scale, a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain possible.
Time frame: 5 minutes after stopped exercise, performed 1 hour after intervention (patch application)
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