- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT03170557
Randomized Comparative Trial for Persistent Pain in Spinal Cord Injury: Acupuncture vs Aspecific Needle Skin Stimulation
A Randomized, Double Blind, Comparative Trial to Assess the Efficacy of Traditional Acupuncture vs Aspecific Needle Skin Stimulation for Persistent Pain in Subjects With Spinal Cord Injury
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
About 67% of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience painful symptoms in the course of life after injury and a third evaluates the pain as "severe", with a significant impact on quality of life, due to limitations in daily activities and autonomy. Persistent pain can be of different origin and may be nociceptive, neuropathic or mixed. However, it is often poorly responsive to pharmacological therapy. For some years, attention has been paid to the use of non-pharmacological therapies and interventional techniques in treating pain, and acupuncture has been the treatment most used and appreciated for its effectiveness. Only two studies on the use of acupuncture in SCI patients were included in the only Cochrane review available, dated 2014. Such studies, focusing on the painful shoulder syndrome and, therefore, on skeletal muscle pain, show a "non-superiority" of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture treatment or Trager approach. However, the review does not come to any clear conclusions on the effectiveness of intervention because of the small number of cases and high risk of bias.
A more recent primary, randomized, controlled trial on SCI patients, although focusing on chronic pain and on a single acupuncture technique, uses a questionable study design (cross-over) to demonstrate treatment efficacy.
The present randomized, comparative trial aims to clarify the efficacy of traditional acupuncture vs. aspecific needle skin stimulation in treating persistent pain in subjects with spinal cord injury, by overcoming the biases reported in previous studies. Because of the intrinsic effects of sham acupuncture and, generally, of skin stimulation, a statistically significant change in the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) measurements is expected even in the comparison group. To minimize this bias, which cannot be avoided, and to maintain the blindness of the patient as much as possible, the comparison group is treated by the insertion of needles in skin areas outside the metamer(s) affected by pain.
Primary objective:
- To evaluate the efficacy of traditional acupuncture vs. aspecific needle skin stimulation for persistent pain in subjects with spinal cord injury, at the end of treatment and at the 3 week follow-up.
Secondary objectives:
- Reduction of drug intake, at the end of treatment and at the subsequent follow-up;
- Reduction of anxiety/depression, at the end of treatment and at the subsequent follow-up;
- Improvement of quality of life, at the end of treatment and at the subsequent follow-up;
- Persistence of the effect of acupuncture 9 weeks after treatment.
Data concerning any adverse events, related to both experimental treatments of the trial, will also be collected.
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
-
-
BO
-
Imola, BO, Italy, 40026
- Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute S.p.A.
-
-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Persistent pain: NRS score >2 in at least 5 assessments in 5 consecutive days, despite usual antalgic management;
- Spinal cord injury due to any etiology (both traumatic and non-traumatic);
- Spinal cord injury of any neurological level, complete or incomplete, classifiable as Asia Impairment Score (AIS) A, B, C or D;
- Stable medical conditions;
- At least 1 month away from the spinal cord injury event.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Sporadic pain;
- Mechanical ventilation;
- Pregnancy;
- Disorders of consciousness;
- Incapacity to give informed consent in person.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Double
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: Traditional chinese acupuncture
Traditional chinese acupuncture.
Administration of 12 sessions (2 per week for 6 weeks).
Each session lasts 20-30 minutes.
|
Traditional chinese acupuncture (somatopuncture points, auriculotherapy points, craniopuncture and wrist-ankle acupuncture).
Simultaneously, the usual pharmacological treatment for pain is maintained, based on clinical needs.
|
Sham Comparator: Aspecific needle skin stimulation
Aspecific needle skin stimulation.
Administration of 12 sessions (2 per week for 6 weeks).
Each session lasts 20-30 minutes.
|
Superficial needling of needles in skin areas outside the pain affected dermatome(s).
Simultaneously, the usual pharmacological treatment for pain is maintained, based on clinical needs.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Pain reduction
Time Frame: Baseline (initial visit); session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Pain reduction of at least 2 points on the NRS scale
|
Baseline (initial visit); session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Persistence of pain reduction in Acupuncture arm
Time Frame: Follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Pain reduction of at least 2 points on the NRS scale
|
Follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Reduction of drugs intake
Time Frame: Baseline (initial visit); session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Intake reduction of antalgic, hypnotic and anxiolytic drugs (number and dosage)
|
Baseline (initial visit); session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Reduction of Anxiety/Depression
Time Frame: Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Reduction of anxiety/depression symptoms, assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
|
Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Reduction of pain interference on sleep and quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Reduction of pain interference on sleep and quality of life, assessed by Multidimensional Pain Inventory scale, Part 1
|
Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Improvement of quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Increase of participation in family and social life, assessed by Multidimensional Pain Inventory scale, Part 2
|
Baseline (initial visit); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 2 (9 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Other Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Patient satisfaction
Time Frame: Closing session 12 (6 weeks)
|
Assessment of patient satisfaction after antalgic treatment by an in-house developed ad-hoc questionnaire
|
Closing session 12 (6 weeks)
|
Adverse events
Time Frame: Session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Recording possible adverse events attributable to the experimental treatments
|
Session 6 (3 weeks); closing session 12 (6 weeks); follow-up 1 (3 weeks after closing session 12)
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Angela Morreale, MD, Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute S.p.A.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
Primary Completion (Actual)
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- CE-17017
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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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