NCT03987971

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effecacy of acupoint GB26 based acupuncture treatment in patients with chronic low back pain. Half of the participants will partake in a 2-week acupuncture intervention, while the other half will receive a placebo treatment. The investigators hypothesize that acupuncture on GB26 reduces disability and pain more than the control intervention.

Trial Health

35
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
114

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jan 2020

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 13, 2019

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 17, 2019

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 1, 2020

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 1, 2021

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2021

Completed
Last Updated

June 17, 2019

Status Verified

June 1, 2019

Enrollment Period

1 year

First QC Date

June 13, 2019

Last Update Submit

June 13, 2019

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Change in Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score

    The NRS will ask patients to rate their pain intensity on an 11-point scale where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst imaginable pain

    Change from baseline NRS score at 1 weeks, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 12 weeks

  • Change in Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (OLDPDQ) score

    The OLDPDQ score is considered the 'gold standard' of low back functional outcome tools. The questionnaire is composed of ten sections (addressing pain intensity, personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sex life, social life and travelling); for each section the possible score is 5 and, thus, the total possible score is 50. The final score is calculated as \[(sum of individual scores) / 50\] \*100 (%), and is interpreted as minimal disability (0% to 20%), moderate disability (21% to 40%), severe disability (41% to 60%), crippled (61% to 80%) or patients are either bed-bound or exaggerating their symptoms (81% to 100%).

    Change from baseline NRS score at 1 weeks, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 12 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Deep acupuncture on GB26

EXPERIMENTAL
Other: acupuncture

Superficial acupuncture on GB26

SHAM COMPARATOR
Other: acupuncture

waiting list

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Acupuncture on GB26, every other day, 3 times a week, 2 weeks in total.

Deep acupuncture on GB26Superficial acupuncture on GB26

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 60 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Adults (both male and female) with non-specific low back pain for more than three months.
  • Age range: between 20 and 60 years.
  • Willingness of the patient to participate in the study, and written informed consent signed and personally dated by the patient.
  • Chronic non-specific low back pain clinically diagnosed as repeated lumbar sourness and swelling pain or a chronic progressive process, accompanied by (i) X-ray examination to exclude lumbar vertebrate fractures, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis and severe osteoporosis, and/or (ii) MRI with normal signal or low nucleus pulposus signal.

You may not qualify if:

  • Age less than 20 or greater than 60 years
  • Specific causes of back pain (e.g., cancer, fractures, spinal stenosis, infections)
  • Complicated back problems (e.g., prior back surgery, medico-legal issues)
  • Possible contraindications for acupuncture (e.g., coagulation disorders, cardiac pacemakers, pregnancy, seizure disorder), and conditions that might confound treatment effects or interpretation of results (e.g., severe fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Conditions making treatment difficult (e.g., paralysis, psychoses, or other severe psychiatric problems based on the judgment of a physician investigator and/or a T score \>60 on the psychological assessments performed during Session 1)
  • Prior acupuncture treatment for back pain; 1 year minimum for any other condition.
  • The intent to undergo surgery during the time of involvement in the study.
  • History of cardiac, respiratory, or nervous system disease that, in the judgment of a physician investigator, precludes participation in the study because of a heightened potential for adverse outcome (e.g., asthma, claustrophobia)
  • Presence of any contraindications to MRI scanning (e.g., cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy)
  • Active substance abuse disorders within the last 24 months, based on subject self-report
  • Radicular knee pain extending below the knee

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Acupuncture Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary TherapiesTherapeutics

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 13, 2019

First Posted

June 17, 2019

Study Start

January 1, 2020

Primary Completion

January 1, 2021

Study Completion

July 1, 2021

Last Updated

June 17, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-06