Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Conditions
Brief summary
The current study will assess the efficacy of acupressure, a type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the Veteran population. Veterans with co-occurring mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be consented and randomly assigned to either an active or placebo acupressure treatment series of 8 sessions. The investigators will determine if acupressure affects aspects of day-to-day function, such as memory, sleep, mood, psychiatric health and stress resilience. This information will help identify potential treatment strategies to improve quality of life and overall function in this particular Veteran population.
Interventions
OTHERActive Acupressure Treatment
Participant will receive 8 active acupressure treatments.
OTHERPlacebo Acupressure Treatment
Participants will receive 8 placebo acupressure treatments.
Sponsors
University of Colorado, Boulder
United States Department of Defense
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Between the ages of 18-60 * Diagnosis of mild TBI and PTSD as assessed by interview and/or chart review * Currently receiving or eligible to receive physical and/or mental healthcare through the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
Exclusion criteria
* History of other significant neurological disease (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis etc.) as assessed by interview and/or chart review. Such conditions could affect outcome measures independently, thereby creating an experimental confound. * History or diagnosis of lifetime moderate to severe TBI, as assessed by interview and/or chart review. * History of psychotic disorder or bipolar I disorder as assessed by structured interview. Such conditions could affect outcome measures independently, thereby creating an experimental confound. * Inability to read the informed consent document or adequately respond to questions regarding the informed consent procedure. * Prior experience with acupressure, as this would result in individuals potentially being able to detect Placebo treatments if randomly assigned to that group.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Trier Social Stress Test | 72 hours post final acupressure treatment |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed