NCT04108546

Massage and Electroacupuncture in Chronic Lumbar Pain

The Effect of Combination of Massage and Electroacupuncture in Patients with Chronic Lumbar Pain. Comparison with the Use of Epidural Analgesia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 110 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Thessaly · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare in patients with chronic back pain two therapeutic interventions: a) the combination of massage and electroacupuncture; and b) the application of epidural analgesia in pain, functioning-incompetence, quality of life and mood.

Conditions

• Back Pain
• Lumbar
• Anesthesia, Local
• Epidural
• Electroacupuncture
• Massage

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Electroacupuncture device	The technical characteristics of the device will be: power supply with alkaline batteries (4 pieces), 6V voltage, 6 independently regulated channels, symmetrical biphasic rectangular pulse, excitation from pen type electrode 0.48mA, with high 0.32mA + / -25% \& low 0.16mA +/- 25%. Three preset programs to avoid tolerance effect: program 1) 1-6Hz, program 2) 30-100Hz, program 3) 2-100Hz. Low frequencies (2Hz) cause release of endorphins in the brain and enkephalins in the spinal cord, high frequencies (30-100Hz) cause release of dynorphins in the spinal cord, while medium frequencies (15Hz) cause simultaneous release of endorphin and dynorphin. At low frequencies slow diffuse analgesia is achieved with a long duration of analgesic effect, while at high frequencies rapid local analgesic effect of short duration is achieved.
DRUG	Epidural analgesia	Epidural analgesia with lidocaine 2%, 1.5 ml, and Dexamethasone 8 mg

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-02-01
• Primary completion: 2024-10-01
• Completion: 2024-12-31
• First posted: 2019-09-30
• Last updated: 2025-03-28

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Greece