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A Crossover Study on the Blinding Effect of a New Pragmatic Placebo Needle

NCT01948375 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 60

Last updated 2018-01-09

Study results available
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Summary

Placebo needle is a useful tool to assess the efficacy of acupuncture. Investigators have applied a new kind of placebo needle in large scale acupuncture clinical trials, which named as pragmatic placebo needle. Compared with other placebo needles used in acupuncture trials, this pragmatic placebo needle shows several advantages: the outlook closer to traditional acupuncture needles, no restriction to needle depth of true needle, simple to manipulate and more economical. However, its blinding effect is not yet validated. The primary objective of this trial is to validate the blinding effect of the new pragmatic placebo needle; the secondary objective is to explore factors influencing the blinding effect of the placebo needles.

Conditions

  • Device Ineffective

Interventions

DEVICE

real needle- placebo needle

All acupoints were needled through the pad but just pressed against the skin without penetration by pragmatic placebo needle, while through the pad and into the skin 15 mm by real needle. For each intervention, LI4 and RN12 are needled first in a supine position for 15 minutes; BL36 and BL25 are needled secondly in a prone position for another 15 minutes. After withdrawal of the needle, participants were asked to give answers on perception of skin penetration, needle sensation and acupuncture pain. Acupuncture was given every other day, three sessions for one kind of needle, six sessions in total for each subject. There was a two-day interval between the applications of two kinds of needles.

DEVICE

placebo needle - real needle

All acupoints were needled through the pad but just pressed against the skin without penetration by pragmatic placebo needle, while through the pad and into the skin 15 mm by real needle. For each intervention, LI4 and RN12 are needled first in a supine position for 15 minutes; BL36 and BL25 are needled secondly in a prone position for another 15 minutes. After withdrawal of the needle, participants were asked to give answers on perception of skin penetration, needle sensation and acupuncture pain. Acupuncture was given every other day, three sessions for one kind of needle, six sessions in total for each subject. There was a two-day interval between the applications of two kinds of needles.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Zhishun Liu · Guang'an Men Hospotal Affiliated to China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
74 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-08-31
Primary Completion
2013-12-31
Completion
2013-12-31

Countries

  • China

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01948375 on ClinicalTrials.gov