Effectiveness and Safety of Adjunctive Pharmacopuncture to Acupuncture Treatment for Rotator Cuff Diseases: a Protocol for an Assessor-Blinded, Pragmatic Randomized Controlled, Pilot Trial

Abstract

Background: Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Treatment can be surgical or non-surgical. Korean Medicine, including acupuncture and pharmacopuncture, is a part of conservative treatment. Pharmacopuncture, combining acupuncture with herbal medicine, has been used for musculoskeletal disorders since the 1960s, but clinical evidence on its effectiveness is lacking. Objectives: This study aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for rotator cuff disease. Methods: A two-group, parallel, single-center, pragmatic, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial will be conducted. A total of 40 patients will be recruited, starting in July 2022. All patients will be received acupuncture treatment, and pharmacopuncture will be applied to intervention group additionally. After eight treatments are delivered over four weeks, follow-up assessments will be performed. Results: Assessments will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these treatments at baseline and at weeks 2 (2 W), 4 (4 W), and 8 (8 W). The primary outcome will be a visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation of shoulder pain levels. Assessments will include shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), shoulder range of motion (ROM), EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), patient global impression of change (PGIC), 'no worse than mild pain', and drug consumption rates. Conclusion:This study may offer a rationale for a future full-scale trial on the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture treatment for rotator cuff disease and provide data on non-surgical treatment for the disease.

Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacopuncture Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Study Protocol for a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Pharmacopuncture is a treatment method that combines acupuncture and herbal medicine and maximizes the effect of treatment through the injection of purified herbal extracts into acupoints [9][10][11]21]. The physical ef-…”

“…We plan to qualitatively evaluate whether the pain level at the time of evaluation has decreased compared with the level before treatment. It reflects improvement and satisfaction with treatment [11,17].…”

“…Pharmacopuncture combines acupuncture and herbal medicine. Injecting herbal medicine extracts into acupoints causes physical stimulation and chemical reactions, increasing the treatment effect [9][10][11]. Effects of pharmacopuncture include immune system regulation and anti-inflammatory, microcirculatory, and pain relief effects [7,9].…”

“…Its advantages include rapid therapeutic effect, synergistic effect between acupuncture and herbal medicine, simple procedure, easy administration, and various indications [9]. Pharmacopuncture is used in various diseases, including the musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory, dermatology, and autonomic nervous systems, and is most frequently used in musculoskeletal diseases [7,11].…”

A Pilot Study for Effectiveness and Safety of Adjunctive Pharmacopuncture to Acupuncture Treatment for Rotator Cuff Diseases: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The protocol was registered at cris.nih.go.kr (identifier: KCT0007416) and published in 2023. 37 This study was conducted following the Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines and Declaration of Helsinki.…”