Effect of Acupuncture and Pain Medication on Radicular Pain Using QST
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Acupuncture
- Conditions
- Pain
- Sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Enrollment
- 56
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Changes in QST Measures in Response to Acupuncture or Gabapentin at Visit 1, Visit 4 and Visit 7 for CS, WS, HP, CP (CS: Cold Sensation; WS: Warm Sensation; HP: Heat Pain; CP: Cold Pain)
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 2 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
In this aim, we propose to conduct a double blinded, placebo-controlled, and randomized clinical trial to compare the clinical effectiveness of radicular pain relief by either acupuncture therapy or a course of pain medication (e.g., Gabapentin) using Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST).
Investigators
Jianren Mao, MD, PhD
M.D., Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Subject will be between ages 18 to 75 years. Both male and female subjects will be recruited.
- •Subject should have had cervical or lumbar radicular pain for at least two months. This requirement is to avoid the uncertainty of an unstable pain condition and to minimize the study variation.
- •Subject has a pain score of 4 or above (visual analog scale, VAS: 0 - 10 from no pain to worst pain).
- •Cervical or lumbar radicular pain will include, but is not limited to, such clinical conditions as disk herniation, spinal stenosis, and post-laminectomy syndrome.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Subject has detectable sensory deficits at the site of QST. Sensory deficits refer to such conditions resulting from neurological diseases or medical conditions causing peripheral polyneuropathy and sensory changes, which include but are not limited to diabetic neuropathy, alcoholic neuropathy, AIDS neuropathy, severe thyroid disease, and severe liver or kidney disorders.
- •Subject has scar tissue, infection, or acute injury at the site of QST.
- •Subject is pregnant.
- •Subject tests positive for illicit drugs.
- •Subject has a pacemaker.
- •Subject is currently taking gabapentin.
Arms & Interventions
True Acupuncture
Pain subjects with radicular pain receiving 6, 30 minute acupuncture treatments.
Intervention: Acupuncture
Sham Acupuncture
Pain subjects with radicular pain receiving 6, 30 minute sham acupuncture treatments.
Intervention: Sham Acupuncture
Gabapentin
Pain subjects with radicular pain receiving gabapentin. Medication treatment groups will titrate up to the standard clinical treatment dosage for one week and maintain that dosage for 1.5 weeks.
Intervention: Gabapentin
Sham Gabapentin
Pain subjects with radicular pain receiving sham gabapentin. Medication treatment groups will titrate up to the standard clinical treatment dosage for one week and maintain that dosage for 1.5 weeks.
Intervention: Sham Gabapentin
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Changes in QST Measures in Response to Acupuncture or Gabapentin at Visit 1, Visit 4 and Visit 7 for CS, WS, HP, CP (CS: Cold Sensation; WS: Warm Sensation; HP: Heat Pain; CP: Cold Pain)
Time Frame: 3 weeks apart. Taken at Visit 1 (before any intervention), Visit 4 (after session 3 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 2 for medication groups), and Visit 7 (after session 6 for acupuncture groups.
Changes in response to heat stimulation stated as pain, sensitivity and tolerance. Responses are measured with a quantitative sensory testing (QST) device. Measurements are taken before, during, and after acupuncture treatment and throughout the gabapentin medication regimen. Measurements are taken at Visit 1 (before any intervention), Visit 4 (after session 3 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 2 for medication groups), and Visit 7 (after session 6 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 3 for medication groups), up to a maximum of 3 weeks for each participant.
Changes in QST Measures in Response to Acupuncture or Gabapentin at Visit 1, Visit 4 and Visit 7 HPT, CPT and Tol (HPT: Heat Pain Threshold; CPT: Cold Pain Threshold; Tol: Tolerance to 47°C Heat Stimulation)
Time Frame: 3 weeks apart. Taken at Visit 1 (before any intervention), Visit 4 (after session 3 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 2 for medication groups), and Visit 7 (after session 6 for acupuncture groups.
Changes in response to heat stimulation stated as pain, sensitivity and tolerance. Responses are measured with a quantitative sensory testing (QST) device. Measurements are taken before, during, and after acupuncture treatment and throughout the gabapentin medication regimen. Measurements are taken at Visit 1 (before any intervention), Visit 4 (after session 3 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 2 for medication groups), and Visit 7 (after session 6 for acupuncture groups or within treatment week 3 for medication groups), up to a maximum of 3 weeks for each participant.