Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Long-Term Effects of Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain : A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Annals of internal medicine
October 1, 2024
Ling Zhao et al. (12 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter StudyHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pressure pain, sensory-based individualized acupuncture for relieving chronic neck pain (CNP) over a 24-week period.

Results Summary

Individualized acupuncture using high- or low-sensitivity points was more effective than sham acupuncture or a waiting list in reducing CNP, with effects persisting at 24 weeks, though the relative improvement did not reach a minimal clinically important difference.

Population

716 participants with chronic neck pain.

Effective Dosage

10 sessions over 4 weeks.

Duration

24 weeks (follow-up).

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
higher sensitive acupoints (HSA) acupuncture
decrease
visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain
participants with chronic neck pain
-12.16
mean baseline to week 4 change
#1
lower sensitive acupoints (LSA) acupuncture
decrease
visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain
participants with chronic neck pain
-10.19
mean baseline to week 4 change
#2
sham acupoints (SA) acupuncture
decrease
visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain
participants with chronic neck pain
-6.11
mean baseline to week 4 change
#3
waiting list (WL)
decrease
visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain
participants with chronic neck pain
-2.24
mean baseline to week 4 change
#4
higher sensitive acupoints (HSA) acupuncture
decrease
visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain
participants with chronic neck pain
at 24-week follow-up
intervention effects persisted
#5
individualized acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupuncture points
decrease
chronic neck pain (CNP)
participants with chronic neck pain
sustained through 24 weeks
were more effective in reducing
#6
individualized acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupuncture points
no change
chronic neck pain (CNP)
participants with chronic neck pain
a minimal clinically important difference
magnitude of relative improvement did not reach
#7
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Long-term effects of individualized acupuncture in persons with chronic neck pain (CNP) remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pressure pain, sensory-based individualized acupuncture for relieving CNP. DESIGN: A 24-week multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. (ChiCTR1800016371). SETTING: Outpatient settings at 4 clinical centers in China from May 2018 to March 2020. PARTICIPANTS: 716 participants with CNP. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to a waiting list (WL) group or to 1 of 3 interventions, which consisted of 10 sessions over 4 weeks: higher sensitive acupoints (HSA), lower sensitive acupoints (LSA), and sham acupoints (SA) acupuncture groups. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the change in the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain (range, 0 to 100) from baseline to 4 weeks, with a difference of 10 points considered the minimum clinically important threshold. The VAS was also assessed every 4 weeks through 24 weeks. RESULTS: The modified intention-to-treat population included 683 participants. The mean baseline VAS was 50.36, 50.10, 49.24, and 49.16 for HSA, LSA, SA, and WL, respectively. Compared with a mean baseline to week 4 change of -12.16 in the HSA group, the mean changes were -10.19 in the LSA group (net difference [ND], -1.97 [95% CI, -5.03 to 1.09]), -6.11 in the SA group (ND, -6.05 [CI, -9.10 to -3.00]), and -2.24 in the WL group (ND, -9.93 [CI, -12.95 to -6.90]). The intervention effects persisted at 24-week follow-up. LIMITATION: Lack of complete blinding and limited generalizability. CONCLUSION: Individualized acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupuncture points were more effective in reducing CNP than SA and WL control groups sustained through 24 weeks, but the magnitude of relative improvement did not reach a minimal clinically important difference. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansNeck PainMaleFemaleAcupuncture TherapyChronic PainMiddle AgedPain MeasurementAdultTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations3
Citations/Year3.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.88
Normalized Score0.65
Related Supplements
Long-Term Effects of Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic ... | Panacea Index