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Knee OsteoarthritisNCT04188925

Combined Effect of Laser Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

A study testing Laser Acupuncture in people with Knee Osteoarthritis, run by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disorder affected 250 million people globally. It can not only result in disability, but also associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality. The most common treatment for KOA is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Knee Osteoarthritis
What is being tested?
Laser Acupuncture
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteTaiwan
Study dates
3 Dec 2019to 31 Dec 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 50 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • VAS more than 3 point when daily activity
  • Kellgren-Lawrence Grading Scale grade 1 to 3 on knee X-ray
  • Provided informed consent

Who cannot join

  • History of knee arthroplasty, traumatic injury related joint deformity,
  • Body mass index more than 35
  • pacemaker insertion, photosensitivity
  • who had undergone intra-articular injection or acupuncture in recent one month
  • other factors that may affect the evaluation of the outcome, such as psychiatric disorder or moderate mental retardation etc.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Taiwan1 site
  • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

    Kaohsiung City, 833

Other trials in Taiwan

About this study

Official title: Combined Effect of Laser Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: a Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background:

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disorder affected 250 million people globally. It can not only result in disability, but also associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality. The most common treatment for KOA is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. However, the effect of analgesic is limited and may complicate with side effect. Hence, many patients search for complementary and alternative medicine. Acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary treatment with good analgesic effect and less side effect. Electroacupuncture (EA) or laser acupuncture (LA) was reported effective in pain control in knee osteoarthritis patients. However, there is no study about combination effect of EA and LA.

Read more

Methods:

This protocol is a randomized controlled trial investigating the combination effect of EA and LA on KOA. Fifty participants diagnosed KOA with aged more than 50 years old and knee pain more than 3 months were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental group (EA plus LA) or sham group (EA plus LA without laser output) in clinical research center. The subjects will undergo EA plus LA treatment thrice a weeks for 4 weeks. The experimental group will receive acupuncture at GB33, GB34, SP9, SP10, and ST36 with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator on the GB34+33 and SP9+10., and the LA deliver 6 Joule of energy at EX-LE5, ST35, and BL40. The subjects in sham group will receive the same way but the LA is without any laser output. Outcome measurement will include visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome (KOOS), body composition analysis, knee range of motion test, muscle stiffness test, standing on one foot test, and the 30-second chair stand test before intervention and after 4 weeks intervention. The result will be analyze and compared between the experimental group and sham group using the paired t test and one-way analysis of variance.

Objectives:

The aim of this protocol is to investigate the combination effect of EA and LA in KOA patients.

Being tested
Laser Acupuncture, Sham Laser Acupuncture
Keywords
Electroacupuncture, Laser acupuncture, Low-level laser therapy, Photobiomodulation, Complementary medicine
Medical subject headings
Osteoarthritis, Knee

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Laser AcupunctureDevice

    The LA is using a gallium aluminum arsenide LaserPen (maximal power, 150 mW; wavelength, 810nm; area of probe, 0.03cm2; power density, 5W/cm2; pulsed wave; RJ-Laser, Reimers \& Janssen GmbH, Waldkirch, Germany). The LA treatment will be applied to EX-LE5, ST35, and BL40 for 80 seconds, under power 150mW, to deliver a total treatment dose of 6 Joule/ cm2.

    The EA is the combination of acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator. The transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator is produced by Ching Ming Medical Device Company. This machine is verified by Department of Health in Taiwan, with the ID number 001147. We perform acupuncture on GB33, GB34, SP9, SP10, and ST36.

  • Sham Laser AcupunctureDevice

    Sham LA is using the same appearance of LaserPen without energy output to perform the same acupoint as above description. Both of the LaserPen in two groups are labeled with A and B, one of them is revised by the company to become the sham LA. The outward of both LaserPen are the same and our physician does not know which one is the real.

Study groups in NCT04188925
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Group AExperimentalTrue LA with EA
Receives: Device: Laser Acupuncture
Group BSham comparatorSham LA with EA
Receives: Device: Sham Laser Acupuncture

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change of Visual Analog Score

    Visual Analog Score for pain during activity; change from baseline at 4 weeks; scoring from 0 to 10, and the higher scores indicate the worse condition

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  2. Use of analgesics

    Frequency of analgesics

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Change of the score of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index

    Questionnaires for the function in patients with OA knee; change from baseline at 4 weeks; scoring from 0 to 68, and the higher scores indicate the worse condition

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  2. Change of the percentage of Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    Questionnaires for the function in patients with OA knee; change from baseline at 4 weeks; scoring from 0 to 100 percentage, and the higher percentage indicates the better condition

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  3. Change of the muscle stiffness of quadriceps

    The value is measured by Myoton Digital Palpation Device; change from baseline at 4 weeks

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  4. Change of the angle of knee range of motion

    The range between flexion and extension of the knee; change from baseline at 4 weeks

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  5. Change of the minutes of standing on one foot test

    The patient stands on one foot with hands on hips and eye opening. The time that the patient can stand on one foot was recorded; change from baseline at 4 weeks

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

  6. Change of the times of 30-second chair stand test

    The patient sits on the chair with bilateral feet stepping on the ground and hands cross beyond chest. Then he/she stands up and then sits down. The definition of once is completing one standing up and then sitting down. The number of times that the patient could stand up and then sit down within 30 seconds; change from baseline at 4 weeks.

    Measured: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Dec 2019
  2. Study start3 Dec 2019
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2020
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2020

Resources

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
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
50 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04188925
Sponsor's protocol ID
201901018A3C501
Status last verified
Aug 2019
First submitted
1 Dec 2019
Last updated
28 Jan 2021
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Laser Acupuncture in people with Knee Osteoarthritis, run by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.

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 3 inclusion and 5 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jan 2021. 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 Taiwan. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change of Visual Analog Score (time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 28 Jan 2021.

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