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NCT Number: NCT04134702

Acupuncture for Pain Control After Ambulatory Knee Arthroscopy

Aim of the study: To investigate whether acupuncture with indwelling fixed needles reduces pain and analgesic requirement and foster mobilization in patients after arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS) Design: Prospective pilot investigation with non-randomized arm Number of patients: N = 60 (30 patients with acupuncture additional to standard pain treatment (SPT) vs. 30 patients with SPT only Inclusion criteria: Adult patients scheduled to elective AKS in general anaesthesia with < 80 min. duration Without previous opioid and psychotropic medication Given informed consentOutcome measures: Postoperative analgesic requirement; Pain intensity; Incidence of side effects; Physiological parameters; Mobilization score

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Key information

Conditions

Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; Acupuncture Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pain, Postoperative Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Postoperative Complications Signs and Symptoms

Age range

19 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University Medicine of Greifswald

Greifswald, Vorpommern, 17475, Germany

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Taras Usichenko, MD. PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

00490383486 ext. 5893

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I to II scheduled for elective ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery under standardized general anesthesia
  • Surgery time does not exceed 80 minutes
  • Patients without previous opioid and psychotropic medication
  • Patients aged between 19 and 55 years, able to fill in the study questionnaire (Appendix F)
  • Patients who have given written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Current psychiatric disease
  • Local skin infection at the sites of acupuncture
  • Aged < 19 or > 55 years
  • Failure to follow the standardized schema of general anaesthesia
  • Surgery time more than 80 minutes
  • Intraoperative complications (bleeding, required blood transfusion more than 6 units of packed cells, cardiovascular instability, required catecholamines)
  • Patients who consumed opioid medication at least 6 months before surgery
  • Patients who are unable to understand the consent form or to fill in the study questionnaire.

Treatment and study plan

Acupuncture

Other

Acupuncture and ear acupuncture using indwelling fixed needles, that will remained in situ several days after surgery until the patients will experience pain

Primary outcomes

  1. Analgesic requirement

    Time frame: 10 days

    Total dose of ibuprofen taken by the patient during 10 days after arthroscopic knee surgery

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain intensity: verbal rating scale

    Time frame: 10 days after surgery

    Pain intensity measured using verbal rating scale from 0=no pain to 10=maximal pain

  2. Side affects

    Time frame: 10 days after surgery

    Incidence of analgesic induced side effects

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Joern Lange, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

00490383486 ext. 22579

Taras Usichenko, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

00490383486 ext. 5893

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Medicine Greifswald

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Acupuncture vs. Standard Therapy for Treatment of Postoperative Pain in Patients Scheduled for Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - a Pilot Non-randomized Controlled Trial

Acronym: AcuK-Scope

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Oct 22, 2019
Registry last updated
Jun 9, 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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