Efficacy and Mechanisms of Energy Medicine to Decrease Chronic Knee Pain in Outpatient Settings

NYU Langone Health10 enrolled

Overview

This study will assess the efficacy and mechanisms behind Energy Medicine in reducing chronic knee pain within an outpatient setting. This study will investigate a form of Energy Medicine (EM) performed by a natural solo practitioner, using a standard number of three sessions, which will compare to both positive and negative control groups. The positive control group will receive acupuncture and the negative control group will receive a sham intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Ostheoporosis of the Knee

Interventions

AcupuncturePROCEDURE

3 sessions of acupuncture will be the reference therapy against which the energy medicine intervention is being compared.

Enery Medicine InterventionPROCEDURE

3 sessions performed by Energy Medicine practitioner, who will perform an assessment followed by the intervention.

Sham Energy MedicinePROCEDURE

a non-energy trained confederate to be determined from the clinical research coordinators and non traditional volunteers enrolled administering assessments and providing therapeutic company.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 70 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Presence of knee pain lasting for at least six months * No radiation of knee pain * No acupuncture treatments in the previous six months * Failure to respond completely to the medications given by their orthopedic or pain management specialist * Knee pain on most days (4 out of 7 days of the week) with average self-reported severity of 4 or more out of 10 on a numeric rating scale (NRS) * Complaints of morning stiffness lasting less than 30 minutes * Not be in active physical therapy (PT) for the duration of the trial. * Adult patients ≥18 years of age * English speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Any concurrent diagnosis of systemic disease * Other concurrent treatments such as massage, Acupcunture, PT or any kind of Energy Medicine * Bleeding disorder * Trypanophobia (fear of needles or injections). * Have medical condition that causes difficulty in saliva production/collection (i.e.: Sjogren's Syndrome)

Locations (1)

NYU Langone Health

New York, New York, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain Level measured by 11- Point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)

11 point scale (0-10) asking patient leve of discomfort. A state of no pain is "0" and worst pain is "10"

Time frame: 18 Months

Pain Level measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

used for quantification of pain; psychometric response scales used to measure subjective characteristics or attitudes and have been used in the past for a multitude of disorders, as well as in market research and social science investigations, among others

Time frame: 18 Months

Self Reported Physical Function measured y the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Ostheoarthritic Index (WOMAC)

self-administered questionnaire consisting of 24 items divided into 3 subscales:\[1\] * Pain (5 items): during walking, using stairs, in bed, sitting or lying, and standing upright * Stiffness (2 items): after first waking and later in the day * Physical Function (17 items): using stairs, rising from sitting, standing, bending, walking, getting in / out of a car, shopping, putting on / taking off socks, rising from bed, lying in bed, getting in / out of bath, sitting, getting on / off toilet, heavy domestic duties, light domestic duties

Time frame: 18 Months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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