Subcutaneous injections of dextrose in musculoskeletal pain, a potential therapeutic intervention: scoping review

The aims of this review were to identify and to analyze the clinical studies that used subcutaneous injections of dextrose for treating musculoskeletal pain, in order to establish an overview.

A systematic search was carried out in scientific databases including Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PUBMED and other sources, up until March 2024. We included clinical studies that used subcutaneous injections of dextrose in the treatment of individuals with musculoskeletal pain associated with tendinopathies, enthesopathy, osteoarthritis, ligament sprains, muscle strains or bursitis of various locations.

Twenty studies that met the criteria were included in this review; of those, 13 were randomized clinical trials, one non-randomized comparative study and six were case series studies, comprising a total of 1226 patients. In all included studies, efficacy in pain reduction was reported in the groups treated with dextrose when comparing evaluations at baseline, short term and medium term.

Subcutaneous injections of dextrose could be a beneficial treatment for reducing musculoskeletal pain; however, factors such as the high heterogeneity in the treatment schemes, uncertainty in the mechanisms of action and the level of evidence found, indicate that this technique is still under development.