RecruitingACTRN12615001114538

Testing the Relevance of Acupuncture Channel Theory in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain in the Upper Trapezius Muscle: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Testing the treatment of patients with pain in the upper trapezius muscle using various forms of acupuncture therapy vs sham.

Sponsor

University of Technology Sydney

Enrollment

80 participants

Start Date

Nov 10, 2014

Study Type

Interventional

Conditions

Myofascial pain affecting the upper trapezius muscle

Summary

The design of this study is a prospective single-blind parallel four arm randomised placebo controlled trial with repeated measures. The purpose of this study is to investigate various methods of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of myofascial pain in the upper trapezius muscle. This study is designed to test the following hypotheses; 1) There is no significant difference between needling locally and needling relevant distal points only in the treatment of myofascial pain; and 2) Needling a combination of both local and distal points is superior to needling either local points or relevant distal points alone in the treatment of myofascial pain; 3) Acupuncture is superior to placebo in the treatment of myofascial pain. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of four groups that will receive one of three types of acupuncture therapy, with the remaining group acting as a control group.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 18 YearssMax Age: 80 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This study is testing different types of acupuncture for neck and shoulder muscle pain (called myofascial pain in the upper trapezius). Participants are randomly assigned to one of four groups: needling at the pain site only, needling at distant points only, needling at both, or a placebo group. Researchers want to find out which approach works best. You may be eligible if: - You are 18 to 80 years old - You have muscle pain in your upper neck and shoulder (upper trapezius) that meets the study criteria You may NOT be eligible if: - You have fibromyalgia - You have a neck problem with nerve pain radiating down your arm - You have osteoarthritis or complex systemic disease - You are pregnant - You are unable to give informed consent - You have a medical reason that prevents acupuncture treatment Talk to your doctor about whether this trial might be right for you.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

There are 4 intervention arms including the sham control arm. Group 1 (local point group) will receive needling to the primary local point/myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius only. This g

There are 4 intervention arms including the sham control arm. Group 1 (local point group) will receive needling to the primary local point/myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius only. This group will receive a maximum of 2 needles dependant on whether their symptoms are unilateral or bilateral. Group 2 (combination treatment group) will receive the same treatment as Group 1 with the addition of two distal points needled bilaterally (additional 4 needles). The most relevant points will be selected from the following pairings as determined by Chinese Medicine channel theory; SI3 & BL60, LI4 & ST37 or TE5 & GB34. This group will receive 5-6 needles dependant on whether their symptoms are unilateral or bilateral. Group 3 (distal points only group) will receive the same treatment as Group 2 with the omission of the local points in the upper trapezius muscle. This group will receive a total of 4 needles. All needling/intervention groups will receive treatment from an experienced registered acupuncturist, which will involve insertion of the needles and retention for 20 minutes followed by removal and disposal of the needles. Standardised rotational manipulation will be applied to each needle upon insertion, at 5 minutes, at 10 minutes and at 15 minutes. All treatment interventions will be performed on-site at the UTS TCM Outpatient Clinic.

Locations(1)

NSW, Australia

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ACTRN12615001114538