Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; AcupunctureAcuK-ScopeNCT04134702
Acupuncture for Pain Control After Ambulatory Knee Arthroscopy
A study testing Acupuncture in people with Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; Acupuncture, run by University Medicine Greifswald at 1 site in Germany.
Trial summary
Aim of the study: To investigate whether acupuncture with indwelling fixed needles reduces pain and analgesic requirement and foster mobilization in patients after arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS) Design: Prospective pilot investigation with non-randomized arm Number of patients: N = 60 (30 patients with acupuncture… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 to 55 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; Acupuncture
- What is being tested?
- Acupuncture
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteGermany
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2019to 31 Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 19 to 55 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I to II scheduled for elective ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery under standardized general anesthesia
- Surgery time does not exceed 80 minutes
- Patients without previous opioid and psychotropic medication
- Patients aged between 19 and 55 years, able to fill in the study questionnaire (Appendix F)
- Patients who have given written informed consent
Who cannot join
- Current psychiatric disease
- Local skin infection at the sites of acupuncture
- Aged < 19 or > 55 years
- Failure to follow the standardized schema of general anaesthesia
- Surgery time more than 80 minutes
- Intraoperative complications (bleeding, required blood transfusion more than 6 units of packed cells, cardiovascular instability, required catecholamines)
- Patients who consumed opioid medication at least 6 months before surgery
- Patients who are unable to understand the consent form or to fill in the study questionnaire.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Germany1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University Medicine of Greifswald
Greifswald, Vorpommern, 17475
Taras Usichenko, MD. PhD, 00490383486 ext. 5893, taras@uni-greifswald.de
About this study
Official title: Acupuncture vs. Standard Therapy for Treatment of Postoperative Pain in Patients Scheduled for Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - a Pilot Non-randomized Controlled Trial
Aim of the study: To investigate whether acupuncture with indwelling fixed needles reduces pain and analgesic requirement and foster mobilization in patients after arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS) Design: Prospective pilot investigation with non-randomized arm Number of patients: N = 60 (30 patients with acupuncture additional to standard pain treatment (SPT) vs. 30 patients with SPT only Inclusion criteria: Adult patients scheduled to elective AKS in general anaesthesia with < 80 min. duration Without previous opioid and psychotropic medication Given informed consentOutcome measures: Postoperative analgesic requirement; Pain intensity; Incidence of side effects; Physiological parameters; Mobilization score
- Being tested
- Acupuncture
- Medical subject headings
- Pain, Postoperative
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
AcupunctureOther
Acupuncture and ear acupuncture using indwelling fixed needles, that will remained in situ several days after surgery until the patients will experience pain
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | Experimental | 30 patients will receive acupuncture additionally to standard pharmacological therapy of postoperative pain Receives: Other: Acupuncture |
| No intervention | No intervention | 30 patients will receive just standard pharmacological therapy of postoperative pain |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Analgesic requirement
Total dose of ibuprofen taken by the patient during 10 days after arthroscopic knee surgery
Measured: 10 days
Secondary outcomes (2)
Pain intensity: verbal rating scale
Pain intensity measured using verbal rating scale from 0=no pain to 10=maximal pain
Measured: 10 days after surgery
Side affects
Incidence of analgesic induced side effects
Measured: 10 days after surgery
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Oct 2019
- Study start1 Feb 2019
- Primary completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; AcupunctureStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Medicine Greifswald
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Taras Usichenko, MD, PhD, Study chair, Dept. of Anesthesiology
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04134702
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BB 079/18
- Acronym
- AcuK-Scope
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 18 Oct 2019
- Last updated
- 9 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: On request from study chair after publication of results
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Acupuncture vs. Standard Therapy for Treatment of Postoperative Pain in Patients Scheduled for Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - a Pilot Non-randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04134702
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AcuK-Scope / BB 079/18
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Medicine GreifswaldUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 22 Oct 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Aim of the study: To investigate whether acupuncture with indwelling fixed needles reduces pain and analgesic requirement and foster mobilization in patients after arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS) Design: Prospective pilot investigation with non-randomized arm Number of patients: N = 60 (30 patients with acupuncture additional to standard pain treatment (SPT) vs. 30 patients with SPT only Inclusion criteria: Adult patients scheduled to elective AKS in general anaesthesia with < 80 min. duration Without previous opioid and psychotropic medication Given informed consentOutcome measures: Postoperative analgesic requirement; Pain intensity; Incidence of side effects; Physiological parameters; Mobilization score
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | Experimental | Other: Acupuncture30 patients will receive acupuncture additionally to standard pharmacological therapy of postoperative pain |
| No intervention | No intervention | –30 patients will receive just standard pharmacological therapy of postoperative pain |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 19 to 55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I to II scheduled for elective ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery under standardized general anesthesia
- Surgery time does not exceed 80 minutes
- Patients without previous opioid and psychotropic medication
- Patients aged between 19 and 55 years, able to fill in the study questionnaire (Appendix F)
- Patients who have given written informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Current psychiatric disease
- Local skin infection at the sites of acupuncture
- Aged < 19 or > 55 years
- Failure to follow the standardized schema of general anaesthesia
- Surgery time more than 80 minutes
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| AcupunctureAcupuncture and ear acupuncture using indwelling fixed needles, that will remained in situ several days after surgery until the patients will experience pain | Other | Acupuncture |
Primary outcome
Analgesic requirement
Time frame: 10 days
Total dose of ibuprofen taken by the patient during 10 days after arthroscopic knee surgery
2 secondary outcomes
Pain intensity: verbal rating scale
Time frame: 10 days after surgery
Side affects
Time frame: 10 days after surgery
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. On request from study chair after publication of results
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Taras Usichenko, MD, PhD study chair
Dept. of Anesthesiology
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Acupuncture in people with Postoperative Pain; Knee Arthroscopy; Acupuncture, run by University Medicine Greifswald at 1 site in Germany.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Taras Usichenko, MD, PhD (00490383486 ext. 5893, taras@uni-greifswald.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Analgesic requirement (time frame: 10 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Jun 2026.