Effects of acupuncture on pain relief and recovery after surgical treatment of soft tissue tumors of the extremities - the APOSTT pilot study trial

Effects of acupuncture on pain relief and recovery after surgical treatment of soft tissue tumors of the extremities - the APOSTT pilot study trial - APOSTT

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00032703

Enrollment

100

Registered

2023-09-18

Start date

2023-11-21

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-10-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

D48.1 C49.1 C49.2 D17.2 D21.1 D21.2

Interventions

Group 1: All patients receive acupuncture therapy on the first day after the operation

if the NRS value is = 3 on the third postoperative day, a second treatment will be offered. An individual acupuncture strategy will be used depending on the localization of pain. Thorough disinfection

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - sufficient linguistic communication ability - elective surgery in case of soft tissue tumor of the extremities (benign > 5 cm or malignant)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Pregnancy - diabetic polyneuropathy - needle phobia - relevant mental disorders (e.g.: borderline patients with risk of self-injury) - serious coagulation disorders (e.g.: clinically relevant hemophilia) - lack of communication skills - amputation of the extremity

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Postoperative pain measured immediately before and after acupuncture treatment (20 minutes) determined by a pain scale and the Brief Pain Inventory (pain questionnaire)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
- Evaluation of perioperative analgesics consumption in all study visits - Movement degrees measured by the neutral zero method before and after acupuncture - Time point of drain removal and the amount of fluid drained per day at each study visit on ward - Measurement of pre- and postoperative extremity function if the upper limb is affected using the DASH questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Measurement of pre- and postoperative extremity function if the lower limb is affected using the LEFS questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Duration of hospital stay recorded on the day of discharge - Measurement of pre- and postoperative quality of life using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Evaluation of pre- and postoperative pain intensity using NRS and BPI in all study visits - Evaluation of compliance by specifying the complete data sets and drop-outs after the end of the study	—

Measure

Time frame

- Evaluation of perioperative analgesics consumption in all study visits - Movement degrees measured by the neutral zero method before and after acupuncture - Time point of drain removal and the amount of fluid drained per day at each study visit on ward - Measurement of pre- and postoperative extremity function if the upper limb is affected using the DASH questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Measurement of pre- and postoperative extremity function if the lower limb is affected using the LEFS questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Duration of hospital stay recorded on the day of discharge - Measurement of pre- and postoperative quality of life using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire (preoperative and follow-up) - Evaluation of pre- and postoperative pain intensity using NRS and BPI in all study visits - Evaluation of compliance by specifying the complete data sets and drop-outs after the end of the study

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactJens Jakob

Chirurgische Klinik, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim

jens.jakob@umm.de+49 621 383 2447

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026