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Efficacy and Mechanism of Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica Using fMRI

Not Applicable
Conditions
Chronic Sciatica
Interventions
Device: Real acupuncture
Device: Sham acupuncture
Registration Number
NCT03350789
Lead Sponsor
Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong
Brief Summary

This research is planned to build a basis about the efficacy and mechanism of acupuncture on pain and emotional disorder in patients with chronic sciatica using fMRI.

Detailed Description

Clinical research to assess the effect of acupuncture for chronic sciatica on pain and emotional disorder will be processed with randomized, patient-assessor blinding, and sham-acupuncture controlled study design. Sixty eight subjects would be collected and divided into two groups(experimental and placebo, 34 subjects each). Experimental group will undergo with real acupuncture treatment(manual acupuncture + electroacupuncture) and placebo group will undergo with sham acupuncture treatment (acupuncture without skin penetration + electroacupuncture without electrical stimulation) twice a week, for 4 weeks. The effect on parameters related with pain and emotional disorder will be assessed at 1(baseline: just before the beginning of treatment) and 5(primary end point: 1 week after the end of treatment) weeks. Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be also conducted for 52 subjects(experimental and placebo, 20 among 34 subjects each + normal control 12 subjects) at 1 and 5 weeks to seek machanism of acupuncture.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
68
Inclusion Criteria
  • adults 19 years of age or more and 70 years of age or less
  • clinical diagnosis of chronic sciatica (pain lasting 3 months or more)
  • 40mm or more of 100mm VAS for bothersomeness due to sciatica
  • volunteers through announcements and advertisements with written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • spinal surgery within the past 6 months
  • diagnosis of specific severe diseases resulting in sciatica: malignant tumor, spinal infection, inflammatory sponlylitis
  • progressive neurological deficit or severe neurological signs
  • other chronic diseases which could disturb the effect of treatments and the results of the study: cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, renal diseases, diabetic neuropathy, dementia, epilepsy
  • inadequate or insafe for the treatment of acupuncture/ electroacupuncture: hemorrhagic diseases, medication of anticoagulant, serious diabetes mellitus vulnerable to infections, serious cardiovascular diseases/ pacemaker, metal materials interior of the body
  • currently or might be pregnant
  • severe mental illness
  • currently participating other clinical trials
  • experience of acupuncture or electroacupuncture treatment, or taking medicines which might affect the symptom of pain such as corticosteroids, narcotics, NSAIDs or considered to be inadequate by the investigators within the past week (But they could be included only after going through 2 weeks of wash out period.)
  • difficulty of writing informed consent
  • inadeguate or insafe for MRI scanning: claustrophobia, metal materials interor of the body
  • other inadequate subjects assessed by the study investigators

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Real acupunctureReal acupuncturemanual acupuncture + electroacupuncuture on acupoints, twice a week, for 4 weeks
Sham acupunctureSham acupuncturesham acupuncture (no skin penetration) + placebo electroacupuncture without electrical stimulation on acupoints, twice a week, for 4 weeks
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Visual analogue scale for bothersomenessbaseline, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 5, and 8 weeks

change in visual analoge scale for bothersomeness \[range: 0(better)-100(worse) mm\]

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Oswestry Disability Indexweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in functional scale: Oswestry Disability Index \[10 items, 0-5 points each, total 0(better) -50(worse) points\]

Visual analogue scale for pain intensitybaseline, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 5, and 8 weeks

change in visual analogue scale for pain intensity \[range: 0(better)-100(worse) mm\]

Beck Depression Inventoryweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in emotion scale: Beck Depression Inventory \[21 items, 1-4 points each, total 21(better) -84(worse) points\]

State-Trait Anxiety Inventoryweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in emotion scale: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory \[40 items, 1-4 points each, divided into state anxiety or trait anxiety, not better or worse\]

blood oxygenation level dependent in Magnetic Resonance Image, functionalweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in blood oxygenation level dependent of steady state and event-related block design scan run in functional magnetic resonance image.

cf. functional magnetic resonance image scan run design: REST(6 min)-TASK1(5 min)-3D T1(5 min)-TASK2(5 min)-DTI(6 min)-TASK3(6 min).

REST: steady-state resting scan run. TASK1/2: event-related block design, emotion and pain stimulation model scan run. 2 distinct 5-min experiment blocks (each block-20(5\*4) stimuli (6 sec, inter-stimulus interval: 9 sec); comprised of visual picture(International Affective Picture System: neutral, negative), pain(low back, hand), picture plus pain).

3D T1: structural image acquisition. DTI: diffusion tensor imaging. TASK3: steady state pain model scan run. Low back extension pain model.

EuroQol 5-Dimensionweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in quality of life scale: EuroQol 5-Dimension \[5 items, 1-3 points each, total 5(better) -15(worse) points\]

Adverse eventsbaseline, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 5, and 8 weeks

number of participants with adverse events

* assessment of severity: mild, moderate, severe

* assessment of relation: definitely related, probably related, possibly related, probably not related, definitely not related, unknown

Coping Strategy Questionnaireweek 1(before treatment) and week 5(1 week after treatment, primary endpoint)

change in coping scale: Coping Strategy Questionnaire \[8 subscales, total 48 items, 0-6 points each, divided into adaptive coping or disadaptive coping, not better or worse\]

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong

🇰🇷

Seoul, Korea, Republic of

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