Can ancient bloodletting technique outsmart facial pain?
NCT ID NCT07750730
First seen Aug 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether trigger point bloodletting—a procedure that pricks and cups specific facial points—can reduce pain in people with trigeminal neuralgia, a condition causing severe facial pain. Adults aged 18-75 with classic trigeminal neuralgia and trigger points in the upper lip muscle are randomly assigned to either bloodletting twice weekly for 8 weeks or standard oral carbamazepine. The study compares pain scores and uses ultrasound to see if changes in muscle thickness and blood flow relate to pain relief.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Trigger point bloodletting therapy (a procedure involving pricking and cupping at facial trigger points)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could offer a non-drug option for managing trigeminal neuralgia pain, potentially reducing reliance on medications like carbamazepine.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial, so results may not be conclusive. The procedure involves needles and cupping, which carries risks like bleeding, bruising, or infection, and may not be more effective than standard care.
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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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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
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 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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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: * Participants aged 18 to 75 years old * Participants diagnosed with primary trigeminal neuralgia * Participants with definite facial trigger points located in the orbicularis oris muscle of upper lip * Participants whose pain meets the diagnostic criteria of classic or idiopathic primary trigeminal neuralgia * Participants with visual analogue scale pain score no less than 4 at screening * Participants who can understand scale evaluation and complete follow-up visits on schedule * Participants sign written informed consent voluntarily Exclusion Criteria: * Secondary trigeminal neuralgia caused by tumor vascular compression inflammation or other organic lesions * History of facial surgery radiofrequency ablation or nerve block treatment within three months * Receiving acupuncture bloodletting or similar physical therapy on facial region within one month * Severe uncontrolled systemic diseases including heart liver kidney and hematological disorders * Coexisting mental disorders that affect pain assessment and follow up Pregnant or lactating women * Known allergy to carbamazepine or bloodletting operation contraindications such as coagulation dysfunction * Participants who are unable to cooperate with ultrasound examination
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 250012, China
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