Comparison of Pain With Ultrasound-Guided Intra-Articular Hip Injections With and Without Prior Subcutaneous Local Anesthesia.

Objective: To compare pain levels of intra-articular hip steroid injections performed with and without prior subcutaneous local anesthesia (LA) injection.

Design: Randomized prospective study.

Setting: University-based musculoskeletal clinic.

Participants: Forty-one adult patients undergoing a first-time ultrasound-guided unilateral intra-articular hip steroid injection.

Interventions: Subjects were randomized into 1 of 2 groups: intra-articular hip injection with prior subcutaneous LA with 2 mL of lidocaine 1% (With LA) or hip injection without prior subcutaneous LA (Without LA). Visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores (0-100) were collected before and after each injection.

Main outcome measures: Visual analog scale pain score for the intra-articular hip injection.

Results: Of the 41 total subjects, 18 were randomized to the Without LA group and 23 to the With LA group. There was no significant difference in baseline (preprocedure) VAS scores between the Without LA (mean ± SD = 39.2 ± 27.2) and With LA (41.2 ± 24.0) groups (P = 0.864). The mean ± SD VAS score for the subcutaneous LA injection in the With LA group was 20.4 ± 16.1. There was no significant difference in VAS scores for the intra-articular hip injection between the Without LA (48.5 ± 27.7) and With LA (39.5 ± 25.7) groups (P = 0.232).

Conclusions: Subcutaneous injection of lidocaine before an intra-articular hip injection did not significantly decrease pain from the intra-articular hip injection. Providers may perform intra-articular hip injections with a 22-gauge 3.5-inch spinal needle without the need for an extra subcutaneous LA injection.