sham injection

A sham injection is a placebo intervention used in clinical research to simulate a therapeutic injection without delivering an active pharmacological agent. In the context of the trial conducted by Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital (NCT07174167), the sham injection consisted of 6 mL of 0.9% saline administered to the knee region, specifically avoiding the genicular nerves. This procedure serves as a control to differentiate the physiological and psychological effects of the injection process (placebo effect) from the specific therapeutic effects of genicular nerve blocks using local anesthetics like prilocaine or corticosteroids like triamcinolone in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis. All participants in the sham group also followed a standardized daily knee exercise program to ensure a consistent baseline of care.

Other names

saline placeboplacebo injection0.9% saline injection