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NCT Number: NCT05792358

Wet Cupping Therapy in Ankylosing Spondylitis

This study evaluates the efficacy of wet cupping therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.Wet cupping therapy will be applied to half of the patients plus routine pharmaceutical treatment while the other half will receive only pharmaceutics

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Key information

Conditions

Ankylosing Spondylitis Ankylosis Arthritis Axial Spondyloarthritis Bone Diseases Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Spinal Diseases Spondylarthritis Spondylarthropathies Spondylitis Spondylitis, Ankylosing

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Karabuk University

Karabük, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

In addition to the medical treatment, WCT will be applied once every 28 days , 3 times (Day 0, 28, 56) to the intervention group whereas the control group will not receive any intervention. The BASFI, BASDAI, CRP, FFD, VAS and Modified Schober (MSI) tests will be applied to both groups at 0 and 3 months.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18-65 years
  • Confirmed diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) according to the modified New York criteria or the ASAS classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis
  • Active disease at enrolment, confirmed by a PM&R specialist
  • Written informed consent and compliance with the study protocol

Exclusion criteria

  • Having received WCT within the previous 3 months
  • Contraindications to WCT (hemoglobin <9.5 g/dL, known bleeding or coagulation disorders, anticoagulant use or antiplatelet therapy other than aspirin <100 mg, INR >1.5, etc.)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Severe uncontrolled comorbidities (e.g., advanced cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled diabetes, active malignancy, severe psychiatric illness)
  • Any change in AS medication during the study period
  • Failure to complete either baseline or follow-up visits

Treatment and study plan

wet cupping therapy

Procedure

wet cupping therapy will be applied to participants in this arm for three sessions once a month

Primary outcomes

  1. BASDAI

    Time frame: At 0 and 9th weeks

    Change in the scores of The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index

Secondary outcomes

  1. Schober

    Time frame: At 0 and 9th weeks

    Change in the scores of Modified Schober Test

  2. BASFI

    Time frame: At 0 and 9th weeks

    Change in the scores of The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index

  3. VAS

    Time frame: At 0 and 9th weeks

    Change in the scores of Visual Analogue Scale

  4. C Reactive Protein (CRP)

    Time frame: At 0 and 9th weeks

    Changes in the values of CRP

  5. fingertip-to-floor distance (FFD),

    Time frame: 0 th and 9 th weeks

    Changes in the values of fingertip-to-floor distance (FFD),

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Karabuk University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Wet Cupping Therapy in Ankylosing Spondylitis: a Multicenter Quasi- Randomised Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 31, 2023
Registry last updated
Sep 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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