Clinical Study on Intensive Multi-acupuncture in the Treatment of Neck and Shoulder Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Clinical Study on the Treatment of Neck and Shoulder Pain by Intensive Multi-acupuncture Method Based on the Principle of "Tendons Disease Pain-point Needling".

In this study, the proposed subjects came from the Traditional Diagnosisand Treatment Center of Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province.78 patients with neck and shoulder pain who met the criteria were randomly divided into the control group (39 cases) and the experimental group (39 cases) in a ratio of 1:1.The control group used ordinary acupuncture methods,and the experimental group adopted intensive mtlti-acupuncture method for intervention.The treatment was carried out twice a week,with 4 times as a course of treatment,for a total of one couse of treatment.

The data of VAS NDI,Cervical Range of Motion Assessment,and Constant-Murley Score of the two grous were recorded at the baseline period,after the 2nd treatment,after the 4th treatment,and 2 weeks after the end of the treatment for follow-up.All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS27.0 software,and relevant differences were compared after treatment. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of intensive multi-acupuncture method in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain,and to promote the development and clinical application of"pain as adupoint" meridian stabbing method.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neck Pain; Shoulder and Neck
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Acupuncture

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 78
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: yeying yeying; Phone Number: 15679234887; Email: yeyinging931@163.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: jiangyongliang jyl; Phone Number: 13858173136; Email: jyl2182@126.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meet the above diagnostic criteria for both Chinese and Western medicine;

  • Aged between 18 and 69 years, with no gender restriction; ③ Disease duration of more than 3 months, with no other treatment received within the past month; ④ Voluntarily participate in this study, comply with the physician's arrangements, cooperate with treatment, and sign the Informed Consent Form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with severe life-threatening primary diseases such as severe cardiac, hepatic, renal, or hematopoietic system disorders, as well as those with psychiatric conditions;

  • Patients with pre-existing diseases that may affect the diagnosis of this condition, such as spinal cord injury, significant cervical disc herniation or spondylolisthesis, cervical compression fracture, whiplash injury, etc., as well as those complicated by visceral disorders presenting with similar symptoms; ③ Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, for whom acupuncture treatment is not suitable;

    • Patients with a history of needle phobia, hemophobia, bleeding tendency, or coagulation disorders;

      • Patients with ulcers or suspected infection on the local body surface; ⑥ Patients who have received other treatments within the past two weeks that may potentially affect the observation of the study outcomes; ⑦ Patients with cognitive impairments who are unable to independently complete the relevant scale assessments or do so under the guidance of the researcher.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: intensive multi-acupuncture method group; Perpendicular or oblique insertion in the occipital region reaching the periosteal attachment of the superior/inferior nuchal lines; after the needle tip contacts the bone surface, perform mild lifting and thrusting to elicit a sour and distending sensation, with a depth ≤ 3 cm. In the posterior neck, insert along the paravertebral region adjacent to the spinous processes from C2 to T2 and the articular processes using a subperiosteal technique, advancing along the spinous processes with the depth controlled within 0.5 cm beneath the bone surface. In the infraspinous fossa of the scapula, insert perpendicularly toward the bone surface; along the scapular medial border, insert obliquely parallel to the ribs. In the anterior shoulder region, insert at the coracoid process area and the intertubercular groove of the humerus at a 45° oblique angle until the needle tip contacts the bone surface.The treatment is performed twice a week for a total of 4 treatments.	Procedure: Acupuncture; The needles are inserted into the subject body to treat the disease.
Experimental: normal needling group; The points were selected with reference to the 2006 National Standard of the People's Republic of China(GB/T 12346-2006),"Acupoint Names and Localization".The patients were placed in the prone position, the acupoints were sterilized with 75% alcohol, and the needles were inserted vertically with the conventional needling method, to the extent that there was a sensation of acidity,numbness,heaviness, distension,or radiating to the surroundings, and the needles were left in place for 15 min. The treatments were carried out twice a week for a total of four treatments.	Procedure: Acupuncture; The needles are inserted into the subject body to treat the disease.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
clinical efficacy evaluation criteria	It was evaluated according to the efficacy standard of neck and shoulder pain in the Guidelines for Clinical Research of New Chinese Medicines, and the NDI index was used as the benchmark: Efficacy index (N) = [(pre-treatment score - post-treatment score) ÷ pre-treatment score] × 100%; cure: the patient does not feel obvious back pain and other discomforts, N ≥ 90%Effective: Effective: low back pain is significantly relieved, 60% ≤ N < 90% ③ Effective: lower back pain is relieved, 30%≤N<60%. ④ Ineffective: the patient's low back pain is not relieved, N<30%. Total effective rate (%) = [(number of cured + number of effective + number of effective) ÷ number of cases in each group] × 100%.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain visual analog scale score(VAS)	The visual analogue scale (VAS) is used for pain assessment.The basic method is to use a traveling scale of about 10 cm in length,with"0" and"10" scores at each end, with 0 indicating no pain and 10 representing the most severe pain that is intolerable.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Neck Disability Index (NDI) score	The Neck Disability Index (NDI) is a commonly used scale for assessing the degree of cervical pain and associated functional impairment, reflecting the improvement in neck function before and after treatment. It consists of 10 items, each scored from 0 to 5, with a total score ranging from 0 to 50.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) scale	CROM refers to a method for measuring cervical range of motion using the arc of motion. A medical goniometer is used for measurement, and the degrees of motion are recorded in six directions: flexion, extension, left and right lateral flexion, and left and right rotation.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Constant-Murley Score (CMS) scale	The CMS is a multidimensional scale widely used to assess shoulder joint function, covering four aspects: pain, activities of daily living, range of motion, and muscle strength. The total score is 100, with a higher score indicating better shoulder joint function.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Yongliang Jiang

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 22, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 3, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 3, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neck Pain; Neck and Shoulder Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Neck Pain; Therapeutics; Complementary Therapies; Acupuncture Therapy
• Other Study ID Numbers: ZSLL-ZN-2026-008-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No