Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23845078›Full record

Trial reportTrials2013

PRECISE - pregabalin in addition to usual care for sciatica: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Stephanie Mathieson, Christopher G Maher, Andrew J McLachlan, Jane Latimer, Bart W Koes, Mark J Hancock, Ian Harris, Richard O Day, Justin Pik, Stephen Jan and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Healthcare expenditure and its predictors in a cohort of Australians living with sciatica.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2021
    Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Neuropathic low back pain in clinical practice.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2016
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Treating Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015
    Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 8 institutions in 3 countries.

Stephanie MathiesonThe George Institute for Global Health and Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, PO Box M201, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia. clin@georgeinstitute.org.au
Christopher G Maher
Andrew J McLachlan
Jane Latimer
Bart W Koes
Mark J Hancock
Ian Harris
Richard O Day
Justin Pik
Stephen Jan
Laurent Billot
Chung-Wei Christine Lin
The George Institute for Global Health · AUUniversity of Sydney · AUACT GovernmentErasmus MC · NLGeorge Institute for Global Health · GBMacquarie University · AUSt Vincent's Clinic · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSciatica is a type of neuropathic pain that is characterised by pain radiating into the leg. It is often accompanied by low back pain and neurological deficits in the lower limb. While this condition may cause significant suffering for the individual, the lack of evidence supporting effective treatments for sciatica makes clinical management difficult. Our objectives are to determine the efficacy of pregabalin on reducing leg pain intensity and its cost-effectiveness in patients with sciatica. METHODS/

designPRECISE is a prospectively registered, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial of pregabalin compared to placebo, in addition to usual care. Inclusion criteria include moderate to severe leg pain below the knee with evidence of nerve root/spinal nerve involvement. Participants will be randomised to receive either pregabalin with usual care (n = 102) or placebo with usual care (n = 102) for 8 weeks. The medicine dosage will be titrated up to the participant's optimal dose, to a maximum 600 mg per day. Follow up consultations will monitor individual progress, tolerability and adverse events. Usual care, if deemed appropriate by the study doctor, may include a referral for physical or manual therapy and/or prescription of analgesic medication. Participants, doctors and researchers collecting participant data will be blinded to treatment allocation. Participants will be assessed at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 26 and 52. The primary outcome will determine the efficacy of pregabalin in reducing leg pain intensity. Secondary outcomes will include back pain intensity, disability and quality of life. Data analysis will be blinded and by intention-to-treat. A parallel economic evaluation will be conducted from health sector and societal perspectives. DISCUSSION: This study will establish the efficacy of pregabalin in reducing leg pain intensity in patients with sciatica and provide important information regarding the effect of pregabalin treatment on disability and quality of life. The impact of this research may allow the future development of a cost-effective conservative treatment strategy for patients with sciatica.

trial registrationClinicalTrial.gov, ACTRN 12613000530729.

Indexed as

Research DesignAnalgesicsClinical ProtocolsCombined Modality TherapyCost-Benefit AnalysisDisability EvaluationDouble-Blind MethodDrug Costsgamma-Aminobutyric AcidHumansNew South WalesPain MeasurementPredictive Value of TestsPregabalinProspective StudiesQuality of LifeAnalgesicsgamma-Aminobutyric AcidPregabalin

Identifiers

PMID23845078
PMCPMC3711833
OpenAlexW2102942619

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.