Effectiveness of Acupuncture as an Adjunct to Rehabilitation After Knee Arthroplasty

Effectiveness of Acupuncture as an Adjunct to Rehabilitation After Knee Arthroplasty. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00935155

Enrollment

170

Registered

2009-07-08

Start date

2009-01-31

Completion date

2012-03-31

Last updated

2012-02-08

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

Conditions

Total Knee Replacement

Keywords

exercise therapy, Knee arthroplasty, Acupuncture Analgesia, Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee, rehabilitation

Brief summary

No randomized trials have tested the effectiveness of acupuncture as a supplement to rehabilitation after total knee replacement. Studies from related fields, however, have shown reduction of symptoms as a result of acupuncture treatment in patients with knee pain caused by severe osteoarthritis in the knee. Furthermore, studies have reported that the need of pain medication was lower when acupuncture treatment was performed immediately after knee surgery. The aim of this study is to test whether acupuncture can reduce pain and improve disability as a supplement to rehabilitation after total knee replacement. One hundred and seventy patients will be allocated by drawing lots to either a treatment group receiving exercise therapy and acupuncture or a group receiving exercise therapy alone. Treatment will start 3 weeks after surgery at the latest. Outcome of treatments will be measured at completion of treatment and at 3 months follow-up by pain- and disability questionnaires as well as the recording of walking capacity.

Interventions

PROCEDUREAcupuncture

Westerns style acupuncture. Twice a week for 12 weeks

PROCEDUREexercises

Coordination, mobilizing, endurance, strength

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 70 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Hemi- or total knee arthroplasty. * 18 - 70 years of age.

Exclusion criteria

* Concurrent diseases that compromises treatment, i.e.hip disease, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine). * Bleeding disorders. * Heart disease or use of pacemaker. * Lack of patient cooperation, i.e. psychological disorders, alcoholism, problems with language). * Infection.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
pain	3 months after treatment

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
disability	3 months after treatment

Countries

Denmark

Contacts

Primary ContactTom Petersen, PT, PhD

tom.petersen@suf.kk.dk+45 35304974

Backup ContactInge Lis Goethgen, Head

MW53@suf.kk.dk+45 35304950

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026