Vapocoolant Spray Application During Intra-Articular Knee Injection .
Vapocoolant spray application during intra-articular knee injection: myth or reality?: A prospective randomized controlled trial.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Feb 21;104(8):e41704.One hundred sixty-five patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade II–III–IV knee osteoarthritis were randomized to receive vapocoolant spray (n=55), placebo saline spray (n=55), or no analgesic treatment (n=55) prior to intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections. The primary outcome was pain during needle penetration assessed by a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included preinjection anxiety levels, patient satisfaction, and functional outcomes measured by the WOMAC index at baseline and 1 week. Outcomes were assessed immediately after the procedure and at 1-week follow-up. Overall, the results showed that both the vapocoolant and placebo sprays reduced needle-stick pain compared with no analgesic pretreatment, but there was no significant difference between the vapocoolant and placebo groups. The findings suggest that while vapocoolant spray meets patients’ expectations of pain relief during knee injections, it does not offer a significant advantage over placebo.
Unlock the Full ACE Report
You have access to 4 more FREE articles this month.
Click below to unlock and view this ACE Reports
Unlock Now
Critical appraisals of the latest, high-impact randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in orthopaedics
Access to OrthoEvidence podcast content, including collaborations with the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, interviews with internationally recognized surgeons, and roundtable discussions on orthopaedic news and topics
Subscription to The Pulse, a twice-weekly evidence-based newsletter designed to help you make better clinical decisions
Exclusive access to original content articles, including in-house systematic reviews, and articles on health research methods and hot orthopaedic topics