Association of Acupuncture and Cupping in Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis

March 26, 2025 updated by: University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Use of Acupuncture and Cupping in Patients Awaiting Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) Due to Knee Osteoarthritis

Given the lack of studies in the literature associating the use of acupuncture and sliding suction cup in patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis, the objective of this study is to evaluate the benefits of this association in patients of the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology outpatient clinic of the University of São Paulo while awaiting surgical treatment of knee osteoarthritis as a method of pain relief, limb function improvement and quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

120 patients with indications for surgical knee treatment from IOT-HCFMUSP will be invited to participate in the project. Inclusion applications and those who agree to sign a free and informed consent form (IC) will be included.

During the period of inclusion of patients, will be clarified regarding the application and evaluation methods that will be used through consultation and initial medical evaluation. Then, the included patients are randomized into four existing groups:

Group A - Acupuncture Sham + Cupping Sham; Group B - Sham Acupuncture + Real Cupping; Group C - Real Acupuncture + Sham Cupping; Group D - Real Acupuncture + Real Cupping.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • Sao Paulo
      • São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
        • USaoPauloGH

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients with a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis
  • WOMAC-Pain greater than or equal to 15 points.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • advanced degenerative central neuropathy (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's)
  • diabetic peripheral neuropathy
  • stroke sequela
  • history of digestive bleeding
  • chronic renal failure
  • renal failure
  • heart failure
  • fibromyalgia
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • SLE
  • severe depression
  • psychiatric disorders
  • concomitance with hip arthritis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Sham Comparator: A- Placebo
Sham Acupuncture and Sham Cupping
Procedure: Acupuncture
20 min of Acupuncture section follow by 10 min of cupping around the knee
Other Names:
  • Cupping
Active Comparator: B -Cupping
Sham Acupuncture and Real Cupping
Procedure: Acupuncture
20 min of Acupuncture section follow by 10 min of cupping around the knee
Other Names:
  • Cupping
Active Comparator: C - Acupuncture
Real Acupuncture and Sham Cupping
Procedure: Acupuncture
20 min of Acupuncture section follow by 10 min of cupping around the knee
Other Names:
  • Cupping
Active Comparator: D - Acupuncture + Cupping
Real Acupuncture and Real Cupping
Procedure: Acupuncture
20 min of Acupuncture section follow by 10 min of cupping around the knee
Other Names:
  • Cupping

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
WOMAC - Pain
Time Frame: value collected at 5 week
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Womac-Pain section. Score: 0 (no pain) to 20 (worse condition)
value collected at 5 week
VAS
Time Frame: Value collected at 5 weeks
Intensity of pain 0-100 mm (0 corresponds to a better condition, otherwise, 100 correspond to a worst condition of pain)
Value collected at 5 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Analgesic Consumption
Time Frame: Number of Participants with reduction in the use of pain medications after protocol (at 5 week)
number of pills per day For each group, those who had a reduction in the use of pain medications (analgesics and/or anti-inflammatory drugs) we described as Y (yes), and those who maintained or even increased the amount or simply did not return such information we described as N (no).
Number of Participants with reduction in the use of pain medications after protocol (at 5 week)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Chin Lin, University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 12, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 30, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 12, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 18, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 19, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 27, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Acupuncture in KOA

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

these data are totally confidencial and unique to this protocol

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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