Back Pain Response to Different Acupuncture Methods

NCT ID: NCT01598974

Last Updated: 2017-11-29

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

151 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2012-01-31

Study Completion Date

2017-10-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Acupuncture has been used for many years to help relieve pain. However, it is not clear how acupuncture works. We are doing this study to learn about the effects of different forms of acupuncture on chronic low back pain. We are interested in learning about brain activity during pain. We plan to look at brain activity at the beginning and the end of the study, after 6 sessions of acupuncture.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Lower Back Pain

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Lower Back Pain Acupuncture

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Traditional Acupuncture

Participants will receive acupuncture over 6 30-minute sessions.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Traditional Acupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Laser Acupuncture

Participants will receive laser acupuncture over 6 30-minute sessions.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Laser Acupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Wait-List

Subjects will be put on a 6 week wait-list and receive vouchers for acupuncture at a local clinic.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Traditional Acupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Laser Acupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Volunteers 18-60 years of age.
* Meet the Classification Criteria of the chronic LBP (having low back pain for more than 6 months), as determined by the referring physician.
* At least 4/10 clinical pain on the 11-point LBP intensity scale.
* Patients must be able to provoke or exacerbate their chronic LBP using our calibrated exercise-like maneuver.
* Must have had a prior evaluation of their low back pain by a health care provider, which may have included radiographic studies. Documentation of this evaluation will be sought from Partners or outside medical records and kept in the subject's research record.
* At least a 10th grade English-reading level; English can be a second language provided that the patients feel they understand all the questions used in the assessment measures.

Exclusion Criteria

* Specific causes of back pain (e.g. cancer, fractures, spinal stenosis, infections),
* Complicated back problems (e.g. prior back surgery, medicolegal issues),
* Possible contraindications for acupuncture (e.g. coagulation disorders, cardiac pacemakers, pregnancy, seizure disorder), and conditions that might confound acupuncture intervention effects or interpretation of results (e.g. severe fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis).
* Conditions making acupuncture difficult (e.g. paralysis, psychoses),
* Prior acupuncture treatment for back pain; 1 year wait for any other type.
* The intent to undergo surgery during the time of involvement in the study.
* History of cardiac, respiratory, or nervous system disease that, in Dr. Wasan's judgment, precludes participation in the study because of a heightened potential for adverse outcome. For example: asthma or claustrophobia.
* Presence of any contraindications to MRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy.
* Involvement in workmen's compensation or disability claims.
* Radicular pain extending below the knee.
* Active substance abuse disorders within the last 24 months, based on subject self-report.
* Use of more than 60 mg morphine equivalent prescription opioids or steroids for pain.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Brigham and Women's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Robert Edwards

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Robert R Edwards, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

MGH - Martinos Center

Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

2011P001364

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id