Trial reportTrials2018
Efficacy and safety of thread embedding acupuncture for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled pilot trial.
Trial report in Trials, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06682273 (The Combination of Thread-embedding and Auricular Acupuncture in the Treatment of Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Combination of Thread-embedding and Auricular Acupuncture in the Treatment of Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Hard-flaccid syndrome: a systematic review of aetiopathophysiology, clinical presentation and management.International journal of impotence research · 2026Pooled it
- Dropouts in randomized clinical trials of Korean medicine interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Trials · 2021Pooled it
- Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Combination Treatment with Thread-Embedding Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients with Postoperative Pain: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study.Journal of pain research · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Safety Profile of Thread-Embedding Acupuncture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Should thread-embedding and auricular acupuncture be combined rather than used individually for non-specific chronic low back pain?: A double-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.Integrative medicine research · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the efficacy of catgut implantation at acupoint in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis based on randomized controlled clinical trials.International journal of surgery protocols · 2025Article
- Efficacy, Safety and Cost-Effectiveness of Thread-Embedding Acupuncture for Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder): A Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Randomized, Patient-Assessor Blinded, Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
- Evaluating the Quality of Reports About Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Low Back Pain.Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWe investigated the efficacy and safety of thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) for chronic low back pain (LBP) in a randomized controlled pilot trial with the aim of laying the foundation for a large-scale randomized controlled trial on this topic.
methodsForty participants were recruited for this two-arm, assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial. The participants were randomly allocated to a TEA group (experimental group) or an acupuncture group (control group). The TEA group received TEA once every 2 weeks for 8 weeks (four sessions in total), while the acupuncture group received acupuncture twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions in total). The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain and the secondary outcomes were short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores. Assessments were performed at screening and at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after treatment initiation (the 10-week assessment was conducted at 2 weeks after treatment cessation).
resultsOf the 40 participants, 36 completed the study and four dropped out. Both the TEA group and the acupuncture group showed significant improvements in VAS, SF-MPQ, and ODI scores in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, with regard to ODI, a significant interaction between group and time was observed, with the two groups exhibiting a different pattern of change at 8 weeks according to contrast analysis with Bonferroni's correction. No serious adverse event occurred, and hematological and biochemical test findings were within normal limits.
conclusionThis pilot study has provided basic data for a larger clinical trial to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of TEA for chronic LBP.
trial registrationClinical Research Information Service of the Korea National Institute of Health, ID: KCT0001819 . Registered on 15 February 2016.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.