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Needles vs. pills: can acupuncture cut opioid use after hip surgery?

NCT ID NCT05384860

Symptom relief Sponsor: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether giving acupuncture during hip replacement surgery helps patients use fewer opioids and recover faster. 484 adults having hip replacement were split into two groups: one received ear acupuncture with mild electrical stimulation while sedated, and the other had standard surgery without acupuncture. The main goal was to see if more patients in the acupuncture group kept their opioid use low for 30 days after surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
auricular acupuncture with low-frequency electrostimulation
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a low-cost, low-risk way to reduce opioid use and speed recovery after hip replacement surgery.
What could go wrong
This is a completed study, but results are not yet widely confirmed. Acupuncture's effect on opioid use may be small or not generalizable to all patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

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

484 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2022

Finished

Apr 2025

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * ASA status of 1 or 2 * Ages 18-80 * Undergoing a total hip replacement * Ability to follow study protocol * English-speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English speaking * Chronic opioids use (6 weeks or more) * Contraindication to neuraxial anesthesia or peripheral nerve block * Intending to receive general anesthesia * Contraindication to intra-op protocol * Implanted cardiac device (i.e. pacemaker) * Active ear infection * Non-native ear, previous scarring or surgery * Ear gauges or other deforming ear piercing * Allergy to Nickel

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

opioid abuse

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Acupuncture Hip surgery Opioid use

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hospital for Special Surgery

    New York, New York, 10021, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.