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NCT Number: NCT03008668

A Pilot Trial of Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis With Differential Functional Status of Acupoints

The investigators plan to undertake a rigorous multicentre randomised controlled trial, comparing acupuncture on sensitized acupoints with low/non-sensitive points or no acupuncture (waiting-list), to test if acupuncture on sensitized acupoints may result in improved treatment outcomes in patients with Knee osteoarthritis (KOA).The current pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility of performing the definitive randomised controlled trial.

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Key information

Conditions

Acupuncture Arthritis Joint Diseases Knee Osteoarthritis Musculoskeletal Diseases Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis, Knee Randomized Controlled Trial Rheumatic Diseases

Age range

40 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Patients in the intervention group received acupuncture treatment on the 5 most sensitized points/ acupoints.Patients in the control group received acupuncture treatment on the 5 least /non-sensitized points. All other treatment settings were the same as in the intervention group.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Eligible patients are those aged 40 years or older who are diagnosed with KOA and have signed the informed consent.
  • The diagnosis of KOA will follow the diagnostic criteria according to the Chinese Guidelines for the Medical Management of Osteoarthritis:
  • refractory knee pain for most days in the last month;
  • joint space narrowing, sclerosis or cystic change in subchondral bone (as indicated by X-ray);
  • laboratory examinations of arthritis: clear and viscous synovial fluid (≥2 times) and white blood cell count < 2000/mm3;
  • age 40 years or older;
  • morning stiffness continues less than 30 minutes;
  • bone sound exists when joints was taking flexion and/or extension. A person is confirmed to be diagnosed with KOA if meeting the either of the three criteria set: (1 and 2), or (1,3 and 5), or (1,4,5 and 6).

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be excluded if they:

  • Can not adhere to the study protocol in the future 6 months;
  • Are diagnosed with conditions leading to skeletal disorders, such as tuberculosis, tumors or rheumatism of knee/bone joint, rheumatoid arthritis;
  • Have sprain or other trauma;
  • Are unable to walk properly due to foot deformity or pain;
  • Are present with mental disorders;
  • Have comorbidities including severe cardiovascular disease, liver or kidney impairment, immunodeficiency, diabetes mellitus or blood disorder;
  • Females who are pregnant or lactating;
  • Were using physiotherapy treatments for osteoarthritis knee pain;
  • Had used intra-articular injection of glucocorticoid or viscosupplementation in the past 6 months;
  • Received knee-replacement surgery;
  • Were participating or had participated in the other clinical trials.

Treatment and study plan

Acupuncture

Other

a stimulation of the body or auricular points

Primary outcomes

  1. The change of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index total score from baseline to 16 weeks

    Time frame: Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 16 weeks after randomization

    It consists of 24 items assessing the knee osteoarthritis patients pain, stiffness, and physical function. Each of the 24 items will be graded on a visual analog scale ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores reflecting more pain, stiffness and poorer physical function

Secondary outcomes

  1. The change of Short Form (SF)-12 health survey score from baseline to 16 weeks

    Time frame: Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 16 weeks after randomization

    It includes 12 items: 2 items on physical functioning, 2 items on role limitations because of physical health problems,

    1 item on bodily pain, 1 item on general health perceptions, 1 item on vitality (energy/fatigue), 1 item on social functioning, 2 items on role limitations because of emotional problems, and 2 items on general mental health (psychological distress and psychological well-being)

Other outcomes

  1. Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v4.0

    Time frame: Assessments will be conducted at 4 weeks after the acupuncture treatment and followed at 8, 12 and 16 weeks

    Expected adverse events (AEs) of the acupuncture interventions include bleeding, nausea/vomiting, fainting, bruising at needle sites, feeling hot/burning, and transient pain at needle sites. We defined serious adverse events (SAEs) as: death, hospitalization, significant disability or incapacity, any life-threatening situations or any other medically significant events that were potentially related to the trial procedures or acupuncture treatments. The AEs or SAEs were identified by the certified treating acupuncturists.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

West China Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis With Sensitized Acupoints: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2017
First posted
Jan 2, 2017
Registry last updated
Jul 19, 2018

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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