Capsaicin-induced Muscle Pain in Humans

There is currently no specific diagnostic test for primary muscular pain. The present study investigates whether selective blockade of the suprascapular nerve can effectively abolish experimental pain arising from the supraspinatus muscle. Experimental muscle pain is induced by intramuscular injection of capsaicin, an alkaloid from red chili peppers. The study consists of three parts: 1. to describe the development, time course and intensity of capsaicin-induced muscle pain 2. to evaluate the effectiveness of suprascapular nerve block against capsaicin-induced muscle pain 3. to compare suprascapular nerve block and direct intramuscular local anesthetic infiltration for their effectiveness in capsaicin-induced muscle pain