Acupuncture in Fibromyalgia

Pain Clinical Trial

Official title: Pilot Study of Acupuncture in Fibromyalgia

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder, affecting approximately 8-10 million persons in the U.S., and is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and soft tissue tenderness upon examination. This study focuses on the use of acupuncture as a mode of therapy for fibromyalgia. The issues under examination are: 1) the optimal duration of treatment, 2) the independent and synergistic effects of needle placement and needle stimulation, and 3) appropriate control strategies. The proposal utilizes a randomized, blinded, sham-controlled design to achieve these aims. Subjects are randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1)active site with stimulation, 2) active site, without stimulation, 3) sham site with stimulation, and 4) sham site, without stimulation. All subjects will receive acupuncture at escalating frequency, beginning at once per week and ending at 3 times per week. This "forced titration" design allows for the detection of inter-subject differences in responsiveness to acupuncture, as well as the factors which may predict responsiveness (or lack thereof). Secondary goals of the study are to collect data on the mechanism, safety, and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture in fibromyalgia, and to determine the optimal outcome measures, for a full scale research clinical trial.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Fibromyalgia
• Myofascial Pain Syndromes
• Pain

• NCT number: NCT00010504
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: August 2000
• Completion date: July 2003