Can pressing these points ease knee pain? new study tests DIY acupressure for seniors

NCT ID NCT07329023

Symptom relief Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether teaching older adults to press specific points on their body (self-administered acupressure) can reduce knee osteoarthritis pain. About 368 Chinese adults aged 60+ with knee pain will learn the technique in two sessions and practice at home. Researchers will measure pain levels and daily function to see if this simple, drug-free approach works in real community settings.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Self-administered acupressure (SAA) - a technique where participants press specific points on their body to relieve pain, based on traditional Chinese medicine.
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost way for older adults to manage knee osteoarthritis pain at home without drugs or surgery.
What could go wrong: This is a pragmatic trial testing real-world use, not a lab-controlled study. Results may vary, and acupressure may not work for everyone or replace standard treatments.

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

About 368 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Dec 2025

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

May 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

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

60 years and older

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. ethnic Chinese; 2. aged 60 years or above; 3. able to read Chinese and comprehend Mandarin or Cantonese; 4. fulfilling any 3 of the following criteria. i. morning stiffness 30 min; ii. crepitus on active joint motion; iii. bone tenderness; iv. bone enlargement; or v. no palpable joint warmth (this classification on those with age \>50 years yielded 84% sensitivity, and 89% specificity for OA knee diagnosis (25)); 5. having knee pain for at least 3 months (26); 6. knee pain 23 on a Likert pain scale from 1-10; 7. having a smartphone (or a family member living together having a smartphone) that is compatible with WhatsApp (based on our previous studies, almost every eligible subject is used to using WhatsApp for social communication); and 8. willing to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. medical diagnoses or conditions that preclude individuals from active participation (e.g., bleeding disorders, alcohol, or drug abuse); 2. knee pain related to other conditions (cancer, fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatism) as screened according to the red flags for further investigation or referral in the NICE 2014 Guidelines for Osteoarthritis of the knee (27); 3. score \< 22 in Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) indicating cognitive impairment that may prevent the understanding of training instructions (28); 4. body mass index over 30, the obese Il criteria for Asians (29) (obese subjects will find great difficulty in performing acupressure on acupoints because physical pressure reaching the muscle is required); and 5. ever had knee-replacement surgery Further investigation or referral, either at the screening or during the study, will be made whenever necessary.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

osteoarthritis osteoarthritis, knee Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Knee osteoarthritis (knee oa)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Can pressing these points ease knee pain? new study tests DIY acupressure for seniors

What the study statuses mean