NCT03605576

Remote Fu's Subcutaneous Needling for Patients With Chronic Neck Pain

Effect on Symptomatic Release and Sleep Quality of Remote Fu's Subcutaneous Needling on Patients With Chronic Neck Pain

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (estimated)
• Sponsor: China Medical University Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This is a randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of Fu's subcutaneous needle (FSN) and Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on chronic neck pain by using more objective assessment tools such as Neck Disability Index, Visual Analog Scales, Pressure Pain Threshold and Myotone of MTrPs of Upper Trapezius Muscles, Range of Motion of Stretch of Upper Trapezius Muscle, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index.

Detailed description

Neck pain combining limited range of motion is very common. Lasting for only a few days, it will taper off without any treatment. If the neck pain symptoms persist for more than two months without any improvement, it will be categorized as chronic neck pain causing not only pain but also functional impact, even in daily life, working, and sleep quality. Fu's subcutaneous needling is utilized in treating disease related with myofascial trigger point, including soft tissue pain, joint pain, even some internal problems. Indeed it reduce pain immediately with no obvious side effects. There were some clinical articles of subjective symptoms description published lacking scientific accessment of efficacy. Research team leading by Professor Chang-Zern Hong has already prove that excitability can be reduced by distal acupuncture. Needling TE5 and LI11 can reduce pain intensity and average amplitude of MTrPs end plate in upper trapezium m., and increase pain pressure threshold. Comparing to traditional acupuncture, whether safer and pain-less Fu's subcutaneous needle also has the distal treatment effect or not still needs more scientific experiment to prove. This is a randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and Fu's subcutaneous needle on chronic neck pain by using more objective assessment tools such as Neck Disability Index, Visual Analog Scales, Pressure Pain Threshold and Myotone of MTrPs of Upper Trapezius Muscles, Range of Motion of Stretch of Upper Trapezius Muscle, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index.

Conditions

• Chronic Neck Pain
• Sleep Quality

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Fu's subcutaneous needling	Fu's Subcutaneous Needle (FSN), is an innovation for the treatment of myofascial pain and trigger points. The needle is a non-injection needle, and the fact that both needles are manipulated and act on soft connective tissue. FSN abstains from the muscle and deep fascia layers and is confined to only the subcutaneous layer where collagen fibers are most abundant. As the subcutaneous layer is poorly innervated, pain is less than other needling therapies. FSN is also currently being used successfully to treat non-musculoskeletal conditions.
PROCEDURE	Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation	Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS or TNS) is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes. TENS, by definition, covers the complete range of transcutaneously applied currents used for nerve excitation although the term is often used with a more restrictive intent, namely to describe the kind of pulses produced by portable stimulators used to treat pain. The unit is usually connected to the skin using two or more electrodes. A typical batteryoperated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity. Generally TENS is applied at high frequency (\>50 Hz) with an intensity below motor contraction (sensory intensity) or low frequency (\<10 Hz) with an intensity that produces motor contraction.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-05-01
• Primary completion: 2019-02-28
• Completion: 2019-04-12
• First posted: 2018-07-30
• Last updated: 2018-07-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan