Manual Acupuncture Plus Usual Care Versus Usual Care Alone in the Treatment of Endometriosis-Related Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study

Mike Armour, Adele E. Cave, Siobhan M. Schabrun, Steiner GZ, Genevieve Z. Steiner, Xiaoshu Zhu, Jing Song, Song J, Jason Abbott, Abbott J, Smith CA, Caroline A Smith, Caroline Smith
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2021 · vol. 27(10) , pp. 841–849 · doi:10.1089/acm.2021.0004 · PMID:34161143 · W3173958463
RCT OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 20 in-corpus citations
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This feasibility study found manual acupuncture plus usual care was acceptable and well-tolerated for endometriosis pain, showing improvements in pain and quality of life compared to usual care alone.

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Abstract

Objective: To determine the acceptability and feasibility of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain. Design: A prospective, randomized controlled feasibility study. Setting: Outpatient setting in Sydney, Australia. Subjects: Participants who were aged 18-45 years, had a confirmed laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis in the past 5 years, and had regular menstrual periods and mean pelvic pain scores ≥4/10. Interventions: Sixteen acupuncture treatments delivered by registered acupuncturists using a standardized point protocol over 8 weeks, twice per week plus usual care compared with usual care alone. Outcome measures: Primary outcome measures were feasibility, safety, and acceptability of the acupuncture intervention. Secondary outcomes were changes in self-reported pelvic pain scores, changes in quality of life as measured by the Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-30), changes in descending pain modulation, and changes in systemic inflammation (plasma interleukin [IL-6] concentrations). Results: Twenty-nine participants were eligible to participate, with 19 participants completing the trial. There was unequal withdrawals between groups; the acupuncture group had a withdrawal rate of 14% compared with 53% in usual care. Adverse events were uncommon (6.7%) and generally mild. A 1.9 point decrease in median nonmenstrual pain scores and a 2.0 decrease in median menstrual pain scores between baseline and end of trial were observed in the acupuncture group only. Improvements in all domains of the EHP-30 were seen in the acupuncture group, with no changes seen in usual care. There was no difference between baseline and end of treatment in IL-6 concentrations for either group. Conclusions: Acupuncture was an acceptable, well-tolerated treatment and it may reduce pelvic pain and improve quality of life; however, usual care was not an acceptable control group. Trial Registration: anzctr.org.au: ACTRN12617000053325. Prospectively registered January 11, 2017.

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Outcome instruments

EHP-30

Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Acupuncture Therapy Acupuncture Therapy Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Feasibility Studies Feasibility Studies Female Female Humans Humans Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Prospective Studies Prospective Studies Quality of Life Quality of Life

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Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

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Cited by (22)

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