Anatomically-Guided Electroacupuncture Combined With Cupping for Shoulder Pain

NCT07798531 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 5365/ĐHYD- HĐĐĐ
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 70
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study compares two acupuncture-based treatments for shoulder pain. Adults with shoulder pain will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive electroacupuncture at points chosen based on the anatomy of the painful muscle, combined with moving cupping therapy. The other group will receive electroacupuncture using a standard set of traditional acupuncture points. Both groups will receive daily treatment for 5 days. The main question is whether the combined treatment reduces pain and improves shoulder function more than standard electroacupuncture, measured using a shoulder pain and disability questionnaire completed before treatment and after each session.

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Keywords

electroacupuncture; cupping therapy; shoulder pain and disability index; myofascial trigger points; traditional medicine

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) Pain Subscale Score

  The SPADI pain subscale consists of 5 items, each scored 0-10, for a total raw score of 0-50, transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity. Assessed by patient self-report before treatment and after each of 5 daily treatment sessions.

  Baseline (T0), Day 1 (T1), Day 2 (T2), Day 3 (T3), Day 4 (T4), and Day 5 (T5)

• Change in Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) Disability Subscale Score

  The SPADI disability subscale consists of 8 items assessing activities of daily living, each scored 0-10, for a total raw score of 0-80, transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate greater functional limitation. Assessed by patient self-report before treatment and after each of 5 daily treatment sessions.

  Baseline (T0), Day 1 (T1), Day 2 (T2), Day 3 (T3), Day 4 (T4), and Day 5 (T5)

Study Arms (2)

Anatomically-Guided Electroacupuncture Plus Moving Cupping

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received moving cupping therapy over the upper back and shoulder for 10-15 minutes every other day (3 sessions), followed by electroacupuncture at points selected according to the anatomical location of the affected muscle and the movement provoking pain, at 60-100 Hz for 20 minutes once daily for 5 consecutive days.

Procedure: Anatomically-guided electroacupuncture; Procedure: Moving cupping therapy

Classical Electroacupuncture

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants received electroacupuncture using a standard set of classical acupuncture points (SI15, SI14, BL11, GB21, TE14, LI15, LI14, SI9, SI11, plus distal points LI11, LI10, TE5, LI4) at 60-100 Hz for 20 minutes once daily for 5 consecutive days.

Procedure: Classical electroacupuncture

Interventions

Anatomically-guided electroacupuncture PROCEDURE

Electroacupuncture using filiform needles inserted at ashi points (tender points) selected according to the anatomical location of the affected shoulder muscle and the movement provoking pain (e.g., SI9, SI11, TE14, LI15, GB21, BL17). Needles were stimulated electrically at 60-100 Hz and retained for 20 minutes, once daily for 5 consecutive days.

Anatomically-Guided Electroacupuncture Plus Moving Cupping

Moving cupping therapy PROCEDURE

Moving cupping therapy applied over the upper back and shoulder region. Paraffin oil was applied to the skin, and a plastic cup (3-5 cm diameter) was moved along both sides of the thoracic spine, passing over the supraspinous and infraspinous fossae, using intermittent lifting to avoid localized bruising. Total duration 10-15 minutes per session, performed every other day for 3 sessions.

Anatomically-Guided Electroacupuncture Plus Moving Cupping

Classical electroacupuncture PROCEDURE

Electroacupuncture using filiform needles inserted at a standard set of classical acupuncture points following the protocol of the Vietnam Ministry of Health, including local points SI15, SI14, BL11, GB21, TE14, LI15, LI14, SI9, and SI11, plus distal points LI11, LI10, TE5, and LI4. Needles were stimulated electrically at 60-100 Hz, retained for 20 minutes, once daily for 5 consecutive days.

Classical Electroacupuncture

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults over 18 years of age
• Diagnosed with shoulder pain according to ICD-10 codes M75.0-M75.9
• No infectious or malignant disease of the shoulder
• Willing to provide informed consent to participate

You may not qualify if:

• Complete rotator cuff tear on imaging requiring surgical intervention
• Currently receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy
• Concurrently receiving acupuncture treatment at another facility
• Contraindication to electroacupuncture or cupping therapy, including coagulation disorders, skin infection at the treatment site, or cardiac pacemaker

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City: lead
• Thong Nhat Hospital: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Thong Nhat hospital

Ho Chi Minh City, 70000, Vietnam

Location

Related Publications (10)

• Mohamed AA, Zhang X, Jan YK. Evidence-based and adverse-effects analyses of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation: A systematic and evidence-based review. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2023;36(1):3-19. doi: 10.3233/BMR-210242.

  PMID: 35848010 RESULT

• Sun KO, Chan KC, Lo SL, Fong DY. Acupuncture for frozen shoulder. Hong Kong Med J. 2001 Dec;7(4):381-91.

  PMID: 11773673 RESULT

• Chen ZY, Wang MH, Ye Z. Effect of electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation techniques on shoulder function in patients with rotator cuff injuries. World J Clin Cases. 2024 Jul 26;12(21):4582-4589. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i21.4582.

  PMID: 39070812 RESULT

• Sujithra TS, Mangayarkarasi N, Manavalan N, Prabu P. Efficacy of Cupping Therapy Compared to Acupuncture in Patients with Periarthritis of Shoulder: A Comparative Study. Alternative and Integrative Medicine. 2021;10(2).

  RESULT

• Lauche R, Spitzer J, Schwahn B, Ostermann T, Bernardy K, Cramer H, Dobos G, Langhorst J. Efficacy of cupping therapy in patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome-a randomised placebo controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 17;6:37316. doi: 10.1038/srep37316.

  PMID: 27853272 RESULT

• Karamanlioglu DS, Kaysin MY, Begoglu FA, Akpinar P, Ozkan FU, Aktas I. Effects of acupuncture on pain and function in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A randomized sham-controlled trial. Integr Med Res. 2024 Jun;13(2):101049. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2024.101049. Epub 2024 May 25.

  PMID: 38948487 RESULT

• Stör, J., Stör, W. Die Studienlage zur Akupunkturwirkung bei Schulter-Arm-Syndrom (beispielsweise Frozen Shoulder, Periarthritis humeroscapularis). Dtsch Z Akupunkt 60, 20-22 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0415-6412(17)30080-2

  RESULT

• Guerra de Hoyos JA, Martin MDCA, Leon EBYB, Lopez MV, Lopez TM, Morilla FAV, Moreno MJG. Randomised trial of long term effect of acupuncture for shoulder pain. Pain. 2004 Dec;112(3):289-298. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2004.08.030.

  PMID: 15561384 RESULT

• Dorsher, P.T., Schmid, O. & Fleckenstein, J. The "most common" myofascial trigger points and classical acupuncture points. Part 1. Dtsch Z Akupunkt 68, 58-70 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42212-025-00735-8

  RESULT

• Molsberger AF, Schneider T, Gotthardt H, Drabik A. German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) - a pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi-centre trial in an outpatient care environment. Pain. 2010 Oct;151(1):146-154. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.06.036. Epub 2010 Jul 23.

  PMID: 20655660 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arthralgia; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Hoang Tran, MD, MSc

  University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Dinh- Thanh Le, Assoc Prof, MD, PhD

  Thong Nhat Hospital

  STUDY CHAIR

• Ly-Na T Vu, MD, MSc

  University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer, Physician at Faculty of Traditional Medicine

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 27, 2026
• First Posted: September 1, 2026
• Study Start: December 22, 2025
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2026
• Study Completion: March 31, 2026
• Last Updated: September 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be available beginning 9 months and continuing until 36 months following publication of this article.
• Access Criteria: Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal may request access to the de-identified individual participant data and study protocol by contacting the corresponding author (Ly-Na T. Vu, vtlna@ump.edu.vn). Requests will be reviewed by the study investigators, and access will be granted following execution of a data access agreement and approval, if required, by the Institutional Review Board of Biomedical Research, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City. Data will be shared for the purpose of achieving the aims specified in the approved proposal.

Locations

VN (1)