Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31870456›Full record

ArticleTrials2019

Effects of electroacupuncture frequencies on chronic low back pain in older adults: triple-blind, 12-months protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Sarina Francescato Torres, Ana Carolina Brandt de Macedo, Mateus Dias Antunes, Ingred Merllin Batista de Souza, Francisco Dimitre Rodrigo Pereira Santos, Adriana de Sousa do Espírito Santo, Flávia Ribeiro Jacob, Ariela Torres Cruz, Priscila de Oliveira Januário, Amélia Pasqual Marques

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03802045 (Electroacupuncture Frequency-related Effects on Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT03802045 naunknown statusnot on this map

Electroacupuncture Frequency-related Effects on Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: Triple-blind, 12-month Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Sao Paulo General HospitalRan2019 to 2021Enrolled125ConditionsLow Back PainArmsElectroacupuncture, Needle, Adhesive Moxa
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sarina Francescato TorresSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. sarinaftorres@usp.br.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4603-8066
Ana Carolina Brandt de MacedoDepartment of Physical Therapy Prevention and Rehabilitation, Federal University of Parana, Parana, Brazil.
Mateus Dias AntunesSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ingred Merllin Batista de SouzaSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Francisco Dimitre Rodrigo Pereira SantosHigher Education Unit of the South of Maranhao, Maranhao, Brazil.
Adriana de Sousa do Espírito SantoSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Flávia Ribeiro JacobSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ariela Torres CruzSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Priscila de Oliveira JanuárioSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Amélia Pasqual MarquesSchool of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Universidade de São Paulo · BRUniversidade Federal do Paraná · BR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow back pain (LBP) is the most frequent complaint in clinical practice. Electroacupuncture treatment may be effective; however, the supporting evidence is still limited, especially in older adults.

objectiveThe current study is a randomized controlled trial that aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture in older adults with LBP.

methodsA five-arm randomized controlled trial with patients and evaluators blinded to the group allocation. A total of 125 participants with non-specific LBP will be randomly assigned into one of five groups: three electroacupuncture groups (low, high, and alternating frequency); one control group; and one placebo group. The electroacupuncture will be applied twice a week (30 min per session) for five weeks. The primary clinical outcome measure will be pain intensity. The secondary outcomes include: quality of pain; physical functioning; perceived overall effect; emotional functionality; patient satisfaction; and psychosocial factors. Patients will be evaluated before the first session, immediately after the last, and followed up after six and 12 months to check the medium- and long-term effects. DISCUSSION: Although electroacupuncture is increasingly used to treat LBP, there is no guidance regarding the parameters used, which leads to inconsistent results. Thus, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on LBP remains controversial and requires more studies, especially in the older adult population.

conclusionThis is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of different frequencies of electroacupuncture for treating chronic LBP in older adults. This study will provide evidence on the effectiveness of electroacupuncture as an alternative treatment method for LBP and will entail wider debate about an appropriate acupuncture intervention in this population.

trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT03802045. Registered on 14 January 2019.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAgedBrazilChronic PainDouble-Blind MethodElectroacupunctureHumansLow Back PainMiddle AgedPain MeasurementRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeAcupunctureAgedClinical trialElectroacupunctureLow back pain

Identifiers

PMID31870456
PMCPMC6929454
OpenAlexW2998116615

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.