Radiofrequency Versus Intraarticular Local Anesthestic and Steroids Injection for Chronic Hip Pain

Pilot, prospective, randomized study to compare the effectiveness of two techniques against chronic hip pain :cooled radiofrequency on sensory innervation of the hip and intra‐articular infiltration of local anesthetic and corticoid. Phase of the trial. Phase IV, efficacy evaluation with respect to standard treatment. Conditions to study. Percentage of subjects with VAS reduction greater than 50% compared to baseline at three months after application of the technique in the two treatment groups. Longer duration of the analgesic effect (defined as a reduction of the VAS greater than 50% basal) at six months from the application of the technique in patients with hip pain. Intervention. Application of radiofrequency cooled on nerve endings of the hip. The standard treatment Non‐surgical consists of intra‐articular injection of local anesthetic and corticoid. Main and secondary objective. Main goal: ‐ Percentage of subjects with improvement in the two groups defined as VAS reduction greater than 50% with respect to the baseline after three months from the application of the technique. ‐ Compare the persistence of the clinical effect in terms of pain reduction (quantified by a reduction of 50% in the VAS scale compared to the baseline) after six months after the application of the Radiofrequency cooled on sensitive nerve branches of the hip compared to intra‐articular injection of local anesthetic and corticoid. Secondary objectives: ‐ Compare the improvement of functional capacity of patients submitted to radiofrequency cooled compared to those treated by intra‐articular injection of local anesthetic and corticosteroid measured by the WOMAC and Oxford Hip score scales. ‐ Compare the duration of the clinical improvement in terms of pain reduction quantified by the scale VAS (analog visual scale) per year after the application of both techniques. ‐ To compare the improvement of the quality of life of patients subjected to radiofrequency cooled with respect to those treated by intra‐articular injection of local anesthetic and corticosteroid measured by the SF 36 scale.