NCT07010627

Brief Summary

The objective of the study to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment protocol using auricular acupuncture point stimulation with laser , compared to the use of mustard seeds, for reducing chronic pain in the elderly. With this research, the researches hope to obtain results that allow us to establish a non-invasive, easy, quick-to-apply, and painless treatment protocol to minimize chronic pain in the lumbar spine, shoulders, and knees, thereby improving the quality of life of the target population in this study. In the first session and before the start of the treatment protocol, three questionnaires will be applied for evaluation of the subjects: the first to assess quality of life (SF-36), and the others to evaluate pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale for pain and the McGill Pain Questionnaire). The pain location will be assessed using a thermografic camara that evaluates skin temperature, as well as a Traditional Chinese Medicine device (Ryodoraku) that measures the energy flow in the body's meridians. The same evaluation protocol will be repeated before the fifth session and after the tenth session.

Trial Health

75
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
60

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for all trials

Timeline
7mo left

Started Jun 2025

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
enrolling by invitation

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

Study Progress62%
Jun 2025Dec 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 23, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 1, 2025

Completed
7 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 8, 2025

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2025

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2026

Expected
Last Updated

June 12, 2025

Status Verified

June 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

6 months

First QC Date

April 23, 2025

Last Update Submit

June 9, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

chronic painelderlyauricular laserpunctureauriculotherapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Comparative efficacy evaluation between the application of auricular laser acupuncture and the use of mustard seeds in the treatment of chronic pain

    The collected data will be entered and tabulated in Excel 2010 and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 17.0. The Shapiro-Wilk test will be performed on numerical variables to determine whether they follow a normal distribution. A significance level of 0.05 will be adopted to assess normality. For normally distributed data, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) will be used to measure the magnitude and degree of relationship between variables, and Student's t-test will be applied to evaluate significant differences between the means of two conditions.

    Untill the completion of the study which take approximately 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with laser stimulation of acupoints using red light

"Stimulation using a laser programmed in continuous mode, emitting red light (4 J of energy) at the following auricular acupoints: 1. Chronic shoulder pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, shoulder region, adrenal; 2. Chronic knee pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, knee region, adrenal; 3. Chronic lumbar pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, lumbar region, adrenal."

Procedure: Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with laser stimulation of acupoints using red light

"Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with stimulation of acupoints using mustard seeds."

The conventional clinical practice treatment will be carried out, consisting of the application of mustard seeds to stimulate the following auricular acupoints: 1. Chronic shoulder pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, shoulder region, adrenal; 2. Chronic knee pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, knee region, adrenal; 3. Chronic lumbar pain: shen men, kidneys, peripheral nervous system, analgesia, muscle relaxation, lumbar region, adrenal.

Procedure: "Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with stimulation of acupoints using mustard seeds."

Interventions

This arm of the study will analyze the effectiveness of the treatment protocol for chronic pain in the shoulder, knee, or lumbar spine region in elderly individuals, using the application of laser acupuncture with low-power laser and red light on acupoints of Auriculotherapy. As a criterion for the qualitative evaluation of the study, the McGill questionnaires (Annex A) and the Visual Analog Scale (Annex B) will be used to assess chronic pain, while the SF-36 instrument (Annex C) will allow for the evaluation of participants' quality of life before and after the treatment protocol. For quantitative evaluation, thermographic images and the Ryodoraku System will be used. All proposed tools will be applied before the first treatment session (A1), before the fifth session (A2), and at the end of the tenth session (A3).

Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with laser stimulation of acupoints using red light

This arm of the study will analyze the effectiveness of the treatment protocol for chronic pain in the shoulder, knee, or lumbar spine regions in elderly individuals, utilizing the application of mustard seeds on Auriculotherapy acupoints. As criteria for the qualitative evaluation of the study, the McGill questionnaires (Annex A) and the Visual Analog Scale (Annex B) will be used to assess chronic pain, while the SF-36 instrument (Annex C) will allow for the evaluation of participants' quality of life before and after the treatment protocol. For quantitative evaluation, thermographic images and the Ryodoraku System will be utilized. All proposed tools will be applied before the first treatment session (A1), before the fifth session (A2), and at the end of the tenth session (A3)

"Auriculotherapy for chronic pain treatment with stimulation of acupoints using mustard seeds."

Eligibility Criteria

Age60 Years - 90 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

Initially, in order to recruit participants for this study, invitation flyers will be displayed at the Castejon Campus, home to the Faculty of the Third Age, and at the Urbanova Campus, home to the Faculty of Health Sciences (FCS), both part of the University of Vale do Paraíba (UNIVAP), located in São José dos Campos, Brazil.

You may qualify if:

  • Participants aged between 60 and 90 years;
  • Both sexes;
  • Report of chronic pain in the lumbar region, shoulders, or knees;
  • Sign the Informed Consent Form.

You may not qualify if:

  • Undergoing treatment similar to the proposed research protocol at another facility or physiotherapy service;
  • Using analgesic or anti-inflammatory medications;
  • Unable to fully understand the protocol proposed by the researcher;
  • Unwilling to participate in the study and/or unavailable to attend all proposed treatment sessions;
  • Presence of lesions on the auricular pavilion;
  • Wearing earrings or piercings in the acupoint regions targeted for laser stimulation.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

UNIVAP- University of Paraiba Valley

São José dos Campos, São Paulo, 12244-390, Brazil

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Interventions

Auriculotherapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary TherapiesTherapeutics

Study Officials

  • Luís Eduardo S soares, co-advisor doctoral

    UNIVAP- University of Paraiba Valley

    STUDY DIRECTOR
  • Emilia Angela A arisawa, advisor doctoral

    UNIVAP- University of Paraiba Valley

    STUDY DIRECTOR
  • Gerson Q Quadros Jr, Doctoral Student

    UNIVAP- University of Paraiba Valley

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
CASE CROSSOVER
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 23, 2025

First Posted

June 8, 2025

Study Start

June 1, 2025

Primary Completion

December 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

June 12, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

Description of the IPD to be Shared: All individual participant data (IPD) collected during the study, including de-identified demographic data, clinical outcomes (pain scores, quality of life assessments), Ryodoraku measurements, and thermographic imaging data. What data will be shared: All IPD underlying the results of the published primary and secondary outcome measures.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
Time Frame
When will the data be available: 6 months after the publication of the main results. How long will the data be available: The data will be available for 5 years after the initial publication.
Access Criteria
Qualified researchers who submit a methodologically sound proposal for secondary analyses.

Locations