Trigger Point Electroacupuncture Treatment in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Status: Completed

Conditions: Trigger Points; Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP)

Treatments: Device: Electro-acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06868173

2588/DHYD-HDDD

Details and patient eligibility

About

Electroacupuncture is an application of acupuncture combined with electrical stimulation of acupuncture points through acupuncture needles to achieve faster pain relief than acupuncture. Recently, research has shown that Trigger point acupuncture has a significant effect in reducing pain better than acupuncture on acupoints in patients with chronic low back pain. However, no research has compared the pain relief effect between Trigger Point electroacupuncture and electroacupuncture on acupoints in patients with chronic low back pain. This study was conducted to address this question.

Full description

Participants and Methods: A blinded randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted involving 60 chronic low back pain participants, randomly divided into two groups (A and B): 30 receiving electroacupuncture at the Trigger point (group A) and 30 receiving electroacupuncture on the meridian (group B) for 10 sessions. The primary outcomes were visual analogue scale (VAS), BPI index, and Trigger point count.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients aged 20 or older who consented to participate in the study;
• Individuals experiencing LBP persisting for more than 3 months with an average VAS score of 5 cm or over;
• Patients displaying trigger points in back

Exclusion criteria

• Major trauma or systemic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, Scheuermann disease;
• Systemic symptoms such as weight loss, fever of unknown origin, anorexia, personal history of malignancy, diffuse pain and joint stiffness;
• Symptoms of infection such as fever, meningeal irritation signs, photophobia;
• Symptoms of central motor neuron damage such as Hoffmann sign, Babinski sign, hyperreflexia, spasticity, incontinence, sexual dysfunction;
• Symptoms of serious acute diseases such as myocardial infarction (chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath), arterial dissections (tearing sensation, headache, blurred vision);
• Conditions unsuitable for acupuncture such as inflammation of skin in need of acupuncture, weak or exhausted patients, severe comorbidities;
• Being treated with other methods. Elimination criteria: Patients experiencing adverse events from the intervention leading to their discomfort and withdrawal from the study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Electro-acupuncture at traditional points

Sham Comparator group

Description:

30 patients with non-radiating low back pain for at least three months and normal neurological examination received treatment electro-cupuncture at traditional points for 10 sessions over 4 weeks, electroacupuncture was administered once per session, three sessions per week, on alternate days, with rest on Saturdays and Sundays. Visual analogue scale (VAS) will be recorded after 1 session, 3 session, 5 session, 7 session and 10 session. BPI index and Trigger point count will be recorded after 1 session, 5 session, 10 session.

Treatment:

Device: Electro-acupuncture

Electro-acupuncture at the Trigger point

Active Comparator group

Description:

30 patients with non-radiating low back pain for at least three months and normal neurological examination received treatment electro-acupuncture at the Trigger point for 10 sessions over 4 weeks, electroacupuncture was administered once per session, three sessions per week, on alternate days, with rest on Saturdays and Sundays. Visual analogue scale (VAS) will be recorded after 1 session, 3 session, 5 session, 7 session and 10 session. BPI index and Trigger point count will be recorded after 1 session, 5 session, 10 session.

Treatment:

Device: Electro-acupuncture