NCT07010367

Baliao Acupoint Stimulation toTreat Functional Constipation

Effects and Mechanism of Baliao Acupoint Stimulation (BL31~BL34) for Functional Constipation

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study is a randomized controlled trial that explores how a specific acupuncture treatment might help people with functional constipation. The investigators are testing the idea that a treatment called "acupuncture at the Baliao acupoints" could work by changing the way certain parts of the brain connect and function. These brain changes might help improve gut function and relieve constipation symptoms. The investigators will work with people who have functional constipation. Some participants will receive the real Baliao acupoint thread embedding, while others will get a sham acupuncture as a comparison. Using special brain imaging techniques, the investigators will look at how the brain's connections and structures change. The investigators will also track how often participants have bowel movements, the consistency of their stools, and their overall symptoms and quality of life. By comparing these results, the investigators hope to understand how the Baliao acupoint treatment works and why it might be effective for constipation.

Conditions

• Functional Constipation (FC)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Acupuncture	Patients will be instructed to lie in the supine position. After strict disinfection of the acupoints area, acupuncture needles will be inserted into the Baliao points (inserted at the surface projections of the first, second, and third pairs of sacral foramina, with a depth of 3-4 cm). The treatment will be administered five times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a total of two weeks.
PROCEDURE	Sham acupuncture	Patients will be instructed to lie in the supine position. After strict disinfection of the sham acupoints area, acupuncture needles will be inserted lateral to the surface projections of the first, second, and third pairs of sacral foramina, with a depth of 1 cm.The treatment will be administered five times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a total of two weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-06-20
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-07-30
• First posted: 2025-06-08
• Last updated: 2025-06-08