Acupuncture showdown: which needle works best for chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT02979574
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares personalized electro-acupuncture and auricular-acupuncture against usual care for treating chronic pain in adults with musculoskeletal pain or fibromyalgia. Participants are split into three groups: two receive different acupuncture methods, and one receives standard care for 12 weeks before switching to acupuncture. The goal is to see which approach better reduces pain intensity and interference.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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360 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2016
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * English speaking * Age \>/= 18 years or older * Having musculoskeletal pain, defined as regional (joints, extremities, back, neck) or more generalized (fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain) * Having a pain rating of 4 or greater in worst pain on a 1-10 numerical rating scale in the preceding week (Patients with a neuropathic component to their pain that involves the extremities or back will be eligible) * Having had pain for at least 3 months and at least 15 days with pain in the preceding 30 days * A diagnosis of cancer with no restrictions placed on type of cancer, other than that patients with metastatic disease will be excluded. Eligibility criteria are not restricted to MSK confirmed biopsy/diagnosis. Participating institution's testing is sufficient for other study sites. * Complete active treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy) at least one month prior to study initiation (patients on continued hormone treatment will not be excluded). Exclusion Criteria: * Have non-musculoskeletal pain syndromes (headache, facial pain, chest pain, visceral abdominal pain) if these are the sole source of pain, but can be present as co-morbid conditions as long as a patient has a primary musculoskeletal pain condition defined s above. * Inflammatory arthritis that require disease modifying drugs (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) * Phantom limb pain * Patients with a history of metastatic cancer who are not currently NED * Have a pending pain-related VA or social security or worker's comp disability claim by self-report * Have an implanted electronically charged medical device
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack
Commack, New York, 11725, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Rockville Centre
Rockville Centre, New York, 11570, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester
Harrison, New York, 10604, United States
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