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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01733914

Contralateral Acupuncture in the Treatment of Chronic Shoulder Pain

According to traditional Chinese medical theories, a variety of acupuncture formulas can treat diseases such as pain. For example, stimulating acupoints either local or distal to the pain site has been proposed under some conditions. We hypothesize that stimulating acupoints contralateral to the pain site can successfully treat chronic shoulder pain.

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Key information

Conditions

Shoulder Pain Arthralgia Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

25 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Province Hospital of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Sichuan

Chengdu, Sichuan, 100191, China

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Uni-lateral shoulder pain for 6 weeks to 2 years
  • VAS score ≤ 50
  • 25-65 years of age
  • Positive Neer's or Hawkins' signs
  • Accept the informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Shoulder pain of neurological origins
  • Shoulder pain of neck origins
  • Systematic arthritis
  • Wrist problems
  • Previous shoulder, arm, neck or chest fractures or surgeries
  • Mental diseases
  • Pregnancy
  • Inability to work for more than 3 months before treatment
  • Diabetes
  • Coagulative dysfunction
  • Corticosterone or physicotherapy experience on the affected shoulder in the last 6 months
  • Failure to accept the informed consent

Treatment and study plan

Acupuncture

Procedure

Acupuncture in the following acupoints on the contralateral side of pain site: Jiantong, Zhongzhu, Houxi, and Quchi. The patient will receive 5 treatments (each lasts 30 min) per week for four weeks.

Control

Other

Patients in the waiting list group received conventional orthopaedic therapy including physical exercise, heat or cold therapy. 50 mg diclofenac daily could be taken when the patient suffered from the pain. Injections or cortisone applications of any kind were not allowed.

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual analogue scale (VAS)

    Time frame: before and 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks after treatment start

    Pain assessment

Secondary outcomes

  1. The MOS item short from health survey (SF-36)

    Time frame: before and 8 and 16 weeks after treatment start

    Quality of life assessment

  2. Constant-Murley score

    Time frame: before and 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks after treatment start

    shoulder motion score

  3. DASH score

    Time frame: before and 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks after treatment start

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Peking University

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Maryland

Registry information

Official study title

Phase II Study of Contralateral Acupuncture in the Treatment of Chronic Shoulder Pain

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
Nov 27, 2012
Registry last updated
Apr 14, 2015

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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