Thread-Embedding Acupuncture Versus Electroacupuncture for Mild-to-Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

August 24, 2026 updated by: Bui Pham Minh Man, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Thread-Embedding Acupuncture Versus Electroacupuncture for Mild-to-Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: An Assessor-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

This study compared thread-embedding acupuncture with electroacupuncture for adults with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome confirmed by electrodiagnosis. Eighty participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either thread-embedding acupuncture or electroacupuncture. Both groups also received standard care, including lifestyle modification, nocturnal wrist splinting, nerve and tendon gliding exercises, and paracetamol as needed. Thread-embedding acupuncture was administered twice over two weeks, whereas electroacupuncture was administered 10 times over the same period. Participants were assessed at baseline, week 2, and week 4. The primary outcome was the change in paresthesia intensity from baseline to week 4, measured using a 100-mm visual analog scale. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity, symptom severity, functional status, paracetamol use, and adverse events.

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.

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.
80

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

  • Vietnam
      • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 70000
        • University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City - Campus 3

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older.
  • Primary diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome with pain and paresthesia, confirmed by electrodiagnosis and classified as mild or moderate severity.
  • Unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome involving either the right or left hand.
  • Voluntary written informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Structural wrist damage due to previous surgery or trauma.
  • History of carpal tunnel syndrome surgery.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome with an indication for surgical treatment.
  • Concomitant cervical radiculopathy, brachial plexopathy, proximal median neuropathy, other upper-limb neuropathies, or polyneuropathy confirmed by electrodiagnosis.
  • Systemic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, or psoriatic arthritis.
  • Hypothyroidism.
  • Unstable or untreated severe health conditions, including end-stage renal failure, severe hepatic failure, or NYHA class IV heart failure.
  • Use of anti-inflammatory medications within two weeks before enrollment.
  • Alcohol or substance abuse.
  • Pregnancy or lactation.
  • History of allergy, anaphylaxis, or contraindications to thread-embedding acupuncture or electroacupuncture, including emergency conditions, cachexia, local skin infections or dermatological diseases at acupoint sites, or allergy to absorbable sutures.
  • Current treatment with anticoagulant drugs or diagnosed coagulation disorders.

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: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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.
Experimental: Thread-Embedding Acupuncture
Participants received thread-embedding acupuncture twice over two weeks, at baseline and week 1, in addition to standard care.
Procedure: Thread-Embedding Acupuncture
Thread-embedding acupuncture was administered twice over two weeks, at baseline and week 1. Sterile polydioxanone thread-embedding needles were inserted at PC4, PC6, PC7, PC8, LI4, LI5, LU10, LU6, HT7, and TE5. The device consisted of a sterile 31-G stainless-steel cannula with a 30-mm needle shaft and a 30-mm polydioxanone thread folded in half, corresponding to an embedded thread length of approximately 15 mm. The thread was placed within the muscle layer and left in situ after withdrawal of the needle.
Other: Standard Care
Both treatment groups received standard care throughout the four-week study period, including lifestyle modification to avoid wrist flexion and strain, nocturnal wrist splinting, daily nerve and tendon gliding exercises, and paracetamol 500 mg as needed for intolerable pain with a minimum four-hour interval between doses.
Active Comparator: Electroacupuncture
Participants received electroacupuncture once daily, five times per week for two weeks, for a total of 10 sessions, in addition to standard care.
Other: Standard Care
Both treatment groups received standard care throughout the four-week study period, including lifestyle modification to avoid wrist flexion and strain, nocturnal wrist splinting, daily nerve and tendon gliding exercises, and paracetamol 500 mg as needed for intolerable pain with a minimum four-hour interval between doses.
Procedure: Electroacupuncture
Electroacupuncture was administered once daily, five times per week for two weeks, for a total of 10 sessions. Sterile disposable needles were inserted at PC4, PC6, PC7, PC8, LI4, LI5, LU10, LU6, HT7, and TE5. Continuous biphasic rectangular pulses with alternating frequencies of 2/100 Hz every 3 seconds and a pulse width of 0.2 ms were delivered for 20 minutes. Stimulation intensity was adjusted within 2-5 mA according to participant tolerance.

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
Change From Baseline in Paresthesia Visual Analog Scale Score at Week 4
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 4
Paresthesia intensity was measured using a self-reported 100-mm visual analog scale ranging from 0 mm, representing no symptom, to 100 mm, representing the worst imaginable symptom. The outcome was the change in paresthesia-VAS score from baseline to week 4.
Baseline to Week 4

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
Change From Baseline in Paresthesia Visual Analog Scale Score at Week 2
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2
Paresthesia intensity was measured using a self-reported 100-mm visual analog scale ranging from 0 mm, representing no symptom, to 100 mm, representing the worst imaginable symptom. The outcome was the change in paresthesia-VAS score from baseline to week 2.
Baseline to Week 2
Change From Baseline in Pain Visual Analog Scale Score
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2 and Week 4
Pain intensity was measured using a 100-mm visual analog scale ranging from 0 mm, representing no pain, to 100 mm, representing the worst imaginable pain. The outcome was the change in pain-VAS score from baseline.
Baseline to Week 2 and Week 4
Change From Baseline in Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire Scores
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 2 and Week 4
The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire consists of the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and Functional Status Scale (FSS). The SSS includes 11 items scored from 1 to 5, with a total score ranging from 11 to 55. The FSS includes 8 items scored from 1 to 5, with a total score ranging from 8 to 40. The overall BCTQ score was calculated as the sum of the SSS and FSS scores, ranging from 19 to 95. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity and functional impairment.
Baseline to Week 2 and Week 4
Weekly Paracetamol Consumption
Time Frame: Weekly during the 4-week study period
Rescue paracetamol use was recorded as the number of 500-mg tablets consumed per week.
Weekly during the 4-week study period
Adverse Events
Time Frame: From baseline through Week 4
Adverse events occurring during the study were monitored and recorded, including events such as ecchymosis and localized pain associated with the acupuncture procedures.
From baseline through Week 4

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 Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Hoang Binh Trading Services Co., Ltd

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: Minh-Man P Bui, PhD, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

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.
October 21, 2024

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.
May 26, 2025

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 26, 2025

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).
August 24, 2026

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.
August 24, 2026

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.
August 27, 2026

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.
August 27, 2026

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.
August 24, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

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.
  • 2583/DHYD-HDDD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in the published article will be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning after publication of the study results, with no predetermined end date.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified individual participant data will be available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Requests should include the purpose of the proposed analysis and will be considered by the study investigators, subject to applicable ethical and institutional requirements.

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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