Efficacy of Acupuncture for Discogenic Sciatica

Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Sciatica

Treatments: Procedure: Acupuncture; Procedure: Sham acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02770963

2016010401

Details and patient eligibility

About

This trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture on pain relief for patients with discogenic sciatica compared with sham acupuncture.

Full description

Background: Sciatica is primarily caused by herniated discs with nerve-root compression. Acupuncture may effectively relieve the pain of discogenic sciatica, but the evidence is limited.

Methods/Design: Sixty patients with discogenic sciatica will be recruited and randomized to receive acupuncture or sham-acupuncture at a 1:1 ratio. Patients in both groups will receive treatment 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The following acupoints will be used: Dachang shu (BL 25), Shenshu (BL 23), Weizhong (BL 40), and Chengshan (BL 57).

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Unilateral leg pain diagnosed as discogenic sciatica;
2. Sciatica patients with an average leg pain VAS of 40 mm or higher in the last 24 hours;
3. Aged 18 to 75 years;
4. Leg pains that correlate with CT or MRI findings of lumbar disc herniation;
5. Patients who agree to follow the trial protocol.

Exclusion criteria

1. Severe cases with central or giant or ruptured lumbar disc herniation, cauda equina syndrome, foot drop, or surgery requirements;
2. Progressive neurological symptoms after 3 months of strict conservative treatment (e.g., nerve root adhesion, crossed straight-leg testing, or obvious muscle atrophy);
3. Severe cardiovascular, liver, kidney, hematopoietic system diseases, autoimmune diseases, or poor nutritional status;
4. Subjects with cognitive impairment;
5. Pregnancy;
6. Subjects who received acupuncture for sciatica within the past month.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Acupuncture

Experimental group

Description:

Shenshu (BL23) on bilateral sides and Dachangshu (BL25), Weizhong (BL40), and Chengshan (BL57) on the affected side will be applied. Huatuo Brand needle (0.3\*75 mm) will be used for BL25 and Huatuo Brand needle (0.3\*40mm) will be used for BL23, BL40 and BL57.

Treatment:

Procedure: Acupuncture

Sham acupuncture

Sham Comparator group

Description:

The acupoints will be the same as the acupuncture group. Specially designed sham needles (0.3\*25 mm) will be used . The sham needle consists of a needle handle, needle body, blunt tip and a sterile polyethylene cylindrical foam pad (identical to the pads in the acupuncture group).

Treatment:

Procedure: Sham acupuncture