Effects of Semi-standarized Acupuncture in Chronical Symptomatic Osteoarthritis of the Knee Through: A Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT ID: NCT05096806

Last Updated: 2021-10-27

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

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

56 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-01-01

Study Completion Date

2024-11-01

Brief Summary

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Introduction:

Knee osteoarthritis is a long-term rheumatic disease with a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and the socio-economic development of societies. The usual treatment consists of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a palliative measure. The decrease in the beneficial effect and the appearance of serious long-term adverse effects make it necessary to look for other therapeutic procedures. Acupuncture is a non-pharmacological treatment that could reduce pain and improve functionality in this condition, however current scientific evidence is limited. A previous study has observed a clinical improvement in the combination of sensitized local and peripheral points in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis but studies with a larger sample are needed to confirm these results.

Objective:

Assess the effectiveness of acupuncture using a combination of local and peripheral sensitized points in the treatment of active knee osteoarthritis.

Methods:

A randomized clinical trial will be performed in a hospital centre with 2 groups. The control group will standard treatment plus transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, while the intervention group will receive acupuncture in addition to standard care. Study outcomes will be pain, quality of life, function, exercise adherence, drug intake, adverse effects, and body mass index. There will be a 12-month post-intervention follow-up.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Osteoarthritis, Knee

Keywords

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Acupuncture Osteoarthritis, Knee

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Usual care plus TENS

Participants in this group will receive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and usual care.

TENS treatment will perform in the region of the knee and the extensor muscles for 20 minutes, 2 times a week. 4 electrodes will be placed, 2 on the proximal region of the internal and external vastus, and the other 2 on the distal region of the motor plate.

Usual care will consist in home exercises with toning exercises of the extensor apparatus, pelvic region and musculoskeletal stretching exercises of 2 weekly sessions, the recommendation of daily activity of walking for 1 hour daily as an active lifestyle and the recommendation of the reduction of body weight in the case of being above normal weight. There will be a total of 6 face-to-face sessions at the rate of 2 weekly sessions

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

TENS

Intervention Type DEVICE

TENS is a therapy that uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. A TENS unit consists of a battery-powered device that delivers electrical impulses through electrodes placed on the surface of your skin. The electrodes are placed at or near nerves where the pain is located or at trigger points.

Usual care plus Acupuncture

Participants in this group will receive acupuncture treatment and usual care.

Acupuncture treatment will consist in 20-minute semi-standardized acupuncture sessions, 2 times a week. The intervention will consist of the insertion of 8 needles: 4 in points located in the knee (points St34, St35, XiYan and Sp10) and 4 more sensitive to palpation points located between the knee and the ankle. Stimulation will be performed to obtain local spasm response, the needles will be left for 20 minutes and then removed. The needles will be sterile disposable silicone needles of 0.20x20mm and 0.20x40mm.

Usual care will be the same described in the Usual care plus TENS group

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acupuncture

Intervention Type OTHER

Acupuncture is a non-pharmacological technique that consists in the stimulation of specific points located in the skin surface. Points are stimulated by piercing the skin with fine needles.

Interventions

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Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a non-pharmacological technique that consists in the stimulation of specific points located in the skin surface. Points are stimulated by piercing the skin with fine needles.

Intervention Type OTHER

TENS

TENS is a therapy that uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. A TENS unit consists of a battery-powered device that delivers electrical impulses through electrodes placed on the surface of your skin. The electrodes are placed at or near nerves where the pain is located or at trigger points.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Usual painful episode of 3 months or more
* Morning stiffness of 15 minutes or more
* Pain equal to or greater than 5 on the VAS
* Grade 2 or greater on the Kellgren-Lawrence scale

Exclusion Criteria

* Corticosteroid infiltration in the 3 months prior to recruitment
* Rehabilitation treatment one month prior to recruitment
* With a knee prosthesis
* Needle phobia
* Pregnancy
* With pacemakers
* Cardiac arrhythmias
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Universitat de Girona

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Tomás Tegiacchi

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

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Tomás Tegiacchi

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 0034676364399

Email: [email protected]

Carles Fernández

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 0034651503494

Email: [email protected]

References

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Roos EM, Arden NK. Strategies for the prevention of knee osteoarthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2016 Feb;12(2):92-101. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2015.135. Epub 2015 Oct 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26439406 (View on PubMed)

Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, MacPherson H, Foster NE, Sherman KJ, Irnich D, Witt CM, Linde K; Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Pain. 2018 May;19(5):455-474. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005. Epub 2017 Dec 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29198932 (View on PubMed)

Woods B, Manca A, Weatherly H, Saramago P, Sideris E, Giannopoulou C, Rice S, Corbett M, Vickers A, Bowes M, MacPherson H, Sculpher M. Cost-effectiveness of adjunct non-pharmacological interventions for osteoarthritis of the knee. PLoS One. 2017 Mar 7;12(3):e0172749. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172749. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28267751 (View on PubMed)

Cao H, Bourchier S, Liu J. Does Syndrome Differentiation Matter? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials in Cochrane Reviews of Acupuncture. Med Acupunct. 2012 Jun;24(2):68-76. doi: 10.1089/acu.2011.0846.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24761164 (View on PubMed)

Li J, Li YX, Luo LJ, Ye J, Zhong DL, Xiao QW, Zheng H, Geng CM, Jin RJ, Liang FR. The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: An overview of systematic reviews. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Jul;98(28):e16301. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000016301.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31305415 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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CEBRU0021-21

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id