The process of acupuncture: a randomised controlled trial and qualitative study to evaluate the relative contributions of specific and non-specific effects

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN78434638

Enrollment

288

Registered

2006-03-03

Start date

2003-09-01

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

Osteoarthritis (OA) Musculoskeletal Diseases Coxarthrosis

Interventions

Patients are randomised to receive one of the following interventions: 1. Acupuncture which involves a course of treatment using a standardised but flexible choice of acupuncture points around the af

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Subjects aged between 18 and 80 2. Chronic or stable pain, predominantly from a single joint (hip or knee) of known mechanical aetiology i.e. osteo-arthritis 3. Score an average of 30 or more on the 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) in the pre-randomisation phase of the study 4. Not be on any active treatment (e.g. physiotherapy or homeopathy) 5. Ability to attend clinic twice a week for the duration of treatment

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Pregnancy 2. Suffering serious co-morbidity (including severe back pain) 3. Prolonged or current steroid use 4. Waiting for hip/knee revision 5. Patients with needle phobia or allergy to sticking plaster

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Pain measured on a VAS	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) University Osteoarthritis Index functional score 2. Nottingham Health profile	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 31, 2026