Electroacupuncture for Insomnia in Patients With Chronic Sciatica Due to Lumbar Disc Herniation: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Sponsor
Shanghai Yueyang Integrated Medicine Hospital
Study ID
NCT07576348
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 75 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Electroacupuncture — PROCEDURE
    Electroacupuncture will be administered by a licensed acupuncturist. Adhesive foam pads will be applied at each acupoint to enhance blinding. Sterile needles will be inserted through the pads into the skin at predefined acupoints, including Sishencong (EX-HN1), bilateral Shenmen (HT7) and Sanyinjiao (SP6), Jiaji (EX-B2) at the L3-L5 levels (bilateral points at each segment), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25), and selected lower limb acupoints. Electrical stimulation will be applied using a sparse-dense wave (2/10 Hz) for 30 minutes per session. Treatment will be delivered three times per week for four weeks.
  • Sham electroacupuncture — PROCEDURE
    Sham electroacupuncture will be administered by a licensed acupuncturist. Adhesive foam pads will be applied at each non-acupoint to maintain blinding. Sterile needles will be inserted superficially (2-3 mm) through the pads without manipulation or eliciting deqi sensation. Electrical stimulation will be minimally applied only briefly at the beginning and end of each session to mimic the procedure. Treatment duration and frequency will be identical to the electroacupuncture group (30 minutes per session, three times per week for four weeks).

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if electroacupuncture can improve sleep in people with chronic sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation. It will also assess the safety of this treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are whether electroacupuncture improves sleep quality and whether it reduces pain and improves daily function. Researchers will compare electroacupuncture to a sham treatment, which looks like real acupuncture but has little or no therapeutic effect, to determine its effectiveness. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive electroacupuncture or sham treatment, will receive treatment three times per week for four weeks, and will complete questionnaires about their sleep, pain, and daily activities.

Key Dates

First listed
May 8, 2026
Start date
May 31, 2026
Status verified
May 2026
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2027
Completion
Mar 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
114 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Electroacupuncture
  • Sham Comparator: Sham electroacupuncture

Primary Outcome Measure

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) total score [ Time Frame: Week 4 ]

Central Contacts

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