Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38047482›Full record

Trial reportHand (New York, N.Y.)2025

Comparing the Intensity of Pain and Incidence of Flare Reaction Following Trigger Finger Injections Using Betamethasone and Methylprednisolone: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Shafic Sraj, Samuel Schick, Kareem Wasef, Mark Haft, Skylar Braga, John S Taras, Andréa B Lese, B Joseph Prud'homme

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Hand (New York, N.Y.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Shafic SrajWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3873-7369
Samuel SchickRush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Kareem WasefWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
Mark HaftWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
Skylar BragaWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
John S TarasWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
Andréa B LeseWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
B Joseph Prud'hommeWest Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundConsiderable evidence supports corticosteroid injection as an effective treatment for trigger finger. One common side effect, the flare reaction, is a well-documented phenomenon of increased pain following steroid injections. Its incidence and intensity may be related to steroid composition. The purpose of this study was to determine whether betamethasone and methylprednisolone injections for trigger fingers have differing intensity of pain or incidence flare reaction.

methodsPatients with symptomatic trigger finger were recruited during their hand surgery visits. Patients were randomized into 2 treatment groups: betamethasone (40 mg) and methylprednisolone (6 mg) mixed with lidocaine 1%. Treatment group assignment was blinded to the patients and investigators. Visual analog scale pain measurements were taken prior to injection, 5 minutes postinjection, and daily thereafter for 7 days.

resultsSixty-four patients were randomized into the 2 treatment groups. Patients in the betamethasone group reported slightly higher baseline pain compared with the methylprednisolone group, but lower pain on day 1. None of the following days showed a statistically significant difference.

conclusionsThe incidence of flare and severe flare reactions of betamethasone injections for trigger finger management was roughly double that of methylprednisolone, but this difference was not statistically significant. Further studies are required to evaluate the relative course of nonflare postinjection pain for different corticosteroid injections for trigger finger injections.

Indexed as

BetamethasoneGlucocorticoidsMethylprednisolonePainTrigger Finger DisorderAdultAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansIncidenceInjectionsLidocaineMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementBetamethasoneGlucocorticoidsLidocaineMethylprednisolonebetamethasoneflare reactionmethylprednisolonepainsteroid injectiontrigger finger

Identifiers

PMID38047482
PMCPMC11833884

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.