Acupuncture at local and distal points for chronic shoulder pain

Acupuncture at local and distal points for chronic shoulder pain: multi-center, factorial randomized controlled clinical trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN61861069

Enrollment

164

Registered

2013-12-23

Start date

2014-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

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

Conditions

Chronic shoulder pain Musculoskeletal Diseases Other specified joint disorders

Interventions

Participants will receive acupuncture at local points in combination with distal points for 6 weeks. Time points are as follows: Visit 1: screening Visit 2: treatment initiation, participants will re

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Age between 25 and 65 years, either sex 2. Primary complaint of shoulder pain with one-sided shoulder pain for at least 6 weeks and up to 2 years 3. A pain score of 50 mm or more on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) 4. Plain radiography is normal, but may have osteoporosis or calcification shadow 5. Individuals who have not received acupuncture in the preceding 1 month 6. Signed informed consent form

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Referred pain from the cervical spine, history of shoulder trauma, shoulder surgery, stroke, ipsilateral breast surgery, heart diseases and severe hypertension 2. Osteoarthritis of the gleno-humeral joint or systemic bone and joint disorder (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) 3. Endocrine diseases such as hyperthyroidism 4. Severe infection 5. Current therapy involving analgesics

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Shoulder pain intensity is graded using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks later of the first acupuncture, 10 weeks after first acupuncture and 18 weeks after first acupuncture.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Functions of the shoulder joint are evaluated by Constant-Murley score (CMS). The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks after first acupuncture, 10 weeks after first acupuncture, and 18 weeks after first acupuncture. 2. Quality of life is assessed by Short form-36 (SF-36). The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks after first acupuncture, 10 weeks after first acupuncture, and 18 weeks after first acupuncture. 3. Perceived Credibility of acupuncture is evaluated by The Treatment Credibility Scale (TCS) after a 6-week acupuncture session. It is a 5-item questionnaire ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very confident); items are averaged to provide a single treatment credibility score, with high scores reflecting high treatment credibility. 4. Participants also report adverse events they experience, including discomfort or bruising at the sites of needle insertion, nausea, or feeling faint after a 6-week acupuncture session.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Functions of the shoulder joint are evaluated by Constant-Murley score (CMS). The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks after first acupuncture, 10 weeks after first acupuncture, and 18 weeks after first acupuncture. 2. Quality of life is assessed by Short form-36 (SF-36). The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks after first acupuncture, 10 weeks after first acupuncture, and 18 weeks after first acupuncture. 3. Perceived Credibility of acupuncture is evaluated by The Treatment Credibility Scale (TCS) after a 6-week acupuncture session. It is a 5-item questionnaire ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very confident); items are averaged to provide a single treatment credibility score, with high scores reflecting high treatment credibility. 4. Participants also report adverse events they experience, including discomfort or bruising at the sites of needle insertion, nausea, or feeling faint after a 6-week acupuncture session.

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Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026