Ear Acupuncture for Neuropathic Pain

Mayo Clinic

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Neuropathic Pain

Treatments: Procedure: Auricular acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05052645

20-010454

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to gather information on the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture (i.e., the placement of acupuncture needles in specific points on the ear) in reducing pain and improving quality of life among patients experiencing neuropathic pain in the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting.

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients who have acute or chronic neuropathic pain of any etiology (traumatic, non-traumatic, central, peripheral, and mixed cases).
• Ability to provide informed consent.
• Ability to speak English and complete all aspects of this trial.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Patients will have stable neuropathic pain medication dosing for 3 days prior to enrollment to include gabapentin, pre-gabalin, TCAs, duloxetine, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and venlafaxine).

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with platelet count <50,000 or known bleeding disorder.
• Patients in a severe immunocompromised state.
• Pregnant women. All patients who meet the criteria will have their medical records reviewed to ensure they are not pregnant.
• Allergy to gold.
• Use of non-FDA approved herbal supplements. Their effect on enhancing or blunting effect of acupuncture is not known. Patients using medical marijuana with an approved prescription from a state issuing such prescriptions will not be excluded.
• Current infection of the skin or cartilage of the ear.
• Patients already using adjuvant modalities such as chiropractic, massage, yoga, tai chi, massage will not be excluded, but those who add in these modalities during the course of the intervention and observation period will be excluded.
• Patients not anticipated to stay for a minimum of 7 days after enrollment.
• Patient without mental capacity to participate in the consent process and the questionnaire responses.
• Fear of needles or no interest in acupuncture.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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0 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard of Care Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Subjects will receive standard of care neuropathic pain treatment without acupuncture.

Acupuncture Treatment Group

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects will receive acupuncture treatment in addition to to the standard of care neuropathic pain treatment.

Treatment:

Procedure: Auricular acupuncture