Efficacy of Acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) for Neck Pain in Cervical Spondylosis

NCT ID: NCT07151404

Last Updated: 2025-09-03

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

130 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-09-01

Study Completion Date

2026-03-01

Brief Summary

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Cervical spondylosis is a common degenerative disorder of the cervical spine that often leads to chronic neck pain, stiffness, and reduced daily functioning. Pain management in these patients remains challenging, and acupuncture is widely used as a non-pharmacological treatment option. However, the additional benefit of stimulating the Lieque (LU7) acupoint, based on the Six Command Points theory, has not been fully established.

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether acupuncture at Lieque (LU7), combined with electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and cervical-shoulder points, provides greater pain relief compared to electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and cervical-shoulder points alone.

A total of 130 participants with cervical spondylosis will be randomly assigned to two groups. Treatments will be delivered over 20 days. The primary outcome is the change in neck pain intensity, measured by a 0-100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS), from baseline to the end of treatment.

The findings will provide clinical evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) for reducing neck pain and improving patient outcomes in cervical spondylosis.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Cervical Spondylosis Neck Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group will receive filiform needle acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) combined with electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and selected neck-shoulder acupoints. The control group will receive electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints only. Treatment will be performed once daily for a total of 20 sessions over approximately 4 weeks, excluding Sundays.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Lieque (LU7) + Electroacupuncture

Participants will receive filiform needle acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) combined with electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints. Sterile disposable filiform needles (0.3 × 25 mm) will be used. Electroacupuncture will be applied at 60 Hz continuous wave for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be given once daily for a total of 20 sessions, excluding Sundays (approximately 4 weeks).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acupuncture at LU7 (Lieque) + Electroacupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Participants will receive filiform needle acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) combined with electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints including Fengchi (GB20), Jianjing (GB21), Tianzhu (BL10), and Dazhu (BL11). Sterile disposable filiform needles (0.3 × 25 mm) will be inserted at LU7 using standard manual acupuncture technique. Electroacupuncture will be delivered with continuous wave stimulation at 60 Hz for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be performed once daily for a total of 20 sessions over approximately 4 weeks, excluding Sundays.

Electroacupuncture Only

Participants will receive electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints only, without acupuncture at Lieque (LU7). Electroacupuncture will be applied at 60 Hz continuous wave for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be given once daily for a total of 20 sessions, excluding Sundays (approximately 4 weeks).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Electroacupuncture Only

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Participants will receive electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints including Fengchi (GB20), Jianjing (GB21), Tianzhu (BL10), and Dazhu (BL11), without acupuncture at Lieque (LU7). Electroacupuncture will be delivered with continuous wave stimulation at 60 Hz for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be performed once daily for a total of 20 sessions over approximately 4 weeks, excluding Sundays.

Interventions

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Acupuncture at LU7 (Lieque) + Electroacupuncture

Participants will receive filiform needle acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) combined with electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints including Fengchi (GB20), Jianjing (GB21), Tianzhu (BL10), and Dazhu (BL11). Sterile disposable filiform needles (0.3 × 25 mm) will be inserted at LU7 using standard manual acupuncture technique. Electroacupuncture will be delivered with continuous wave stimulation at 60 Hz for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be performed once daily for a total of 20 sessions over approximately 4 weeks, excluding Sundays.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Electroacupuncture Only

Participants will receive electroacupuncture at Jiaji (Ex-B2, C4-C7) and neck-shoulder acupoints including Fengchi (GB20), Jianjing (GB21), Tianzhu (BL10), and Dazhu (BL11), without acupuncture at Lieque (LU7). Electroacupuncture will be delivered with continuous wave stimulation at 60 Hz for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be performed once daily for a total of 20 sessions over approximately 4 weeks, excluding Sundays.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Other Intervention Names

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Filiform Needle Acupuncture at Lieque (LU7) Filiform Needle Acupuncture at LU7 Filiform Needle Acupuncture Electroacupuncture Electroacupuncture Control EA at Jiaji and Neck-Shoulder Acupoints EA Electroacupuncture at Jiaji and Neck-Shoulder Acupoints

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 40 years or older
* Diagnosis of cervical spondylosis based on clinical evaluation and imaging.
* Presence of cervical spine syndrome, including:

* Neck and shoulder pain.
* Limited range of motion in the cervical spine.
* Local tenderness over the cervical spine or paraspinal region corresponding to nerve roots.
* Radiographic evidence of cervical spondylosis on standard X-ray (frontal, lateral, or oblique views), showing one or more of the following:

* Subchondral sclerosis.
* Narrowing of the intervertebral disc space.
* Osteophyte formation (bone spurs, bridging osteophytes).
* Patients receiving treatment at Thu Duc City Hospital

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients who do not agree to participate in the study.
* Acute torticollis, cervical disc herniation, spinal deformity, cervical spine trauma, or spinal tumors.
* Neck and shoulder pain not caused by cervical spondylosis.
* History of systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, severe cardiovascular disease, systemic infection, malignancy, or immunodeficiency disorders.
* History of neurological or psychiatric conditions that impair communication or compliance, including speech disorders, impaired consciousness, psychosis, or dementia.
* Contraindications to electroacupuncture.
* Non-compliance with study treatment protocol.
* Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within the past 10 days or local corticosteroid injection within the past 3 months.
Minimum Eligible Age

40 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Nguyen Ngoc Doan Thuy

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Nguyen Ngoc Doan Thuy

MSc, MD, Lecturer, Department of Acupuncture, School of Medicine - Vietnam National University at Ho Chi Minh City

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Ngoc Doan Thuy Nguyen, MD, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Health Sciences, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Locations

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Thu Duc City Hospital

Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Site Status

Countries

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Vietnam

Central Contacts

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Ngoc Doan Thuy Nguyen, MD, MSc

Role: CONTACT

+84-918-949-394

Ngoc Doan Thuy Nguyen, MD, MSc

Role: CONTACT

+84-918-949-394

Facility Contacts

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Ngoc Doan Thuy Nguyen, MD, MSc

Role: primary

+84-918-949-394

Ngoc Doan Thuy Nguyen, MD, MSc

Role: backup

+84-918-949-394

Other Identifiers

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86/QĐ-ĐHQG

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

C2025-44-13

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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