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Tiny electric needles: a new weapon against chronic neck pain?

NCT ID NCT04981171

Symptom relief Sponsor: Shi Hangyu 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 10, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether electro-thumbtack needle therapy (ETN) can reduce chronic neck pain. ETN uses tiny press needles with mild electrical stimulation at specific points on the body. The study will compare ETN to a sham (fake) version in 180 adults aged 18-65 with neck pain lasting at least 3 months. The main goal is to see if more people experience at least a 50% reduction in pain with ETN compared to the sham treatment.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Electro-thumbtack needle therapy (ETN), a procedure combining tiny press needles with mild electrical stimulation at specific acupoints
What this could lead to
If effective, this could offer a convenient, drug-free option for managing chronic neck pain.
What could go wrong
This is a single-center trial, and results may not apply broadly. The placebo effect is strong in pain studies, and the therapy may not outperform sham treatment.

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

180 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2022

Finished

Jan 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 65 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: 1. Diagnosed with neck pain with headaches or neck pain with movement coordination impairments according to the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA); 2. Aaged 18-65 years; 3. History of neck pain for at least 3 months; 4. A score of ≥4 in Numerical Rating Scale for neck pain (NRS-NP) assessing the average neck pain intensity over last 7 days until the day of recruitment. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosed with neck pain with mobility deficits or neck pain with radiating pain according to the Orthopaedic Section, APTA; 2. Known specific reason leading to neck pain such as tumor, immune disease, endocrine and metabolic disorders, neurological abnormalities, cervical vertebra fracture, cervical dislocation; 3. Acute neck pain or neck pain with radiating pain or upper limb symptoms; 4. Neck pain with sensory or motor disturbance; 5. Prior cervical spine surgery or congenital abnormalities; 6. Experiencing medical dispute litigation; 7. Have received acupuncture in last 30 days; 8. In need of analgesic, muscle relaxant, hormones, or bearing greater pain from another area; 9. Allergic to metal or adhesive tape, or carrying cardiac pacemaker, or skin damaged at selected acupoints; 10. Disable to communicate or critically ill; 11. Drug or alcohol dependent; 12. Currently or planning to be pregnant.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Neck Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Neck pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Guang'anmen Hospital

    Beijing, China

More trials for these conditions

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