NCT02979574

PEACE: Comparing Chronic Pain Treatment Options

Personalize Electro-acupuncture vs. Auricular-acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 360 (actual)
• Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare two types of acupuncture with usual care on treating chronic pain. This study has three groups. Two groups will received acupuncture. One group will receive usual standard of care for 12 weeks and then will receive acupuncture. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique of using very thin needles inserted in the skin to treat different symptoms and illness, and to promote healing. Each group will undergo a different method of needle administration.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain
• Musculoskeletal Pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Pain Management

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Electro-Acupuncture (EA)	Participants will receive 10 treatment of Electro-Acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week). The acupuncturist will insert acupuncture needles in at least 4 local points around the body with the most pain and at least 4 distant points to address the patient's baseline constitution. The needles will be electrically stimulate at 2 Hz by connecting to a TENS unit. The needles will be in place for 30 minutes.
PROCEDURE	Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA)	Participants will receive 10 treatment of Battle Field Acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week). Acupuncture needles will be placed in the participants' ears. The total duration of BFA delivery is about 10 to 20 minutes depending on how many needles are used in the procedure.
DEVICE	Wait List Control (WLC)	After the waiting period (12 weeks from randomization), participants in the WLC will receive up to ten treatments of either EA or BFA based on their personal preference.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-11-01
• Primary completion: 2026-11-01
• Completion: 2026-11-01
• First posted: 2016-12-01
• Last updated: 2025-12-04

Locations

7 sites across 1 country: United States