Objectives
The objectives of this study are: (a) To explore the short- and long-term benefits of traditional acupuncture in the management of the symptoms of chronic pain. (b) To explore the correlation between pain, perceived stress and sleep/wake patterns in patients with chronic pain. (c) To evaluate the feasibility of a large-scale randomised trial.
Design, setting, and patients
The study was a pragmatic trial designed as a series of single case studies using an A–B–A format where a baseline period (A) was followed by a period of intervention (B) and then two subsequent follow-up periods of observation. The study adopted a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Twenty-five eligible participants, representing a range of chronic pain conditions, registered in the study. The study was conducted at the Complementary Medicine Centre at Thames Valley University. The Baseline period was 4 weeks in duration. The Intervention period consisted of 10 weeks during which participants were given 10 weekly acupuncture treatments, based on each individual patient’s needs according to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles.
Main outcome measures
(a) Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the amount of perceived pain. (b) The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to measure the degree to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. (c) Sleep/Wake patterns of the participants were recorded using an ‘ActiGraph’ device (ActiGraph, LLC.), a small digital activity monitor that can determine the amount of sleep, number and frequency of awakenings, as well as sleep efficiency.
Results
Nineteen participants (12 women, 7 men) with a mean age of 41.89 (SD: 11.89) years and a mean disease duration of 10.8 (SD: 12.69) years completed the study.
Graphical data analysis suggests that: (1) Traditional acupuncture induced an improvement in perceived levels of chronic pain (VAS) and in perceived stress (PSS-10) and its symptoms at week 10 compared to baseline scores of no treatment. (2) Traditional acupuncture improved the sleep/wake patterns of people suffering from chronic pain conditions at the end of intervention period compared to baseline scores. (3) Traditional acupuncture induced an improvement in the general feeling of well-being of the participants. (4) Participants continued to maintain better scores in the above outcomes, at 4- and 8-month follow-ups compared to baseline scores.
Statistical analysis is being carried out to confirm the above results.