Implementing Group Battlefield Acupuncture in CCRCs for the Treatment of Chronic Lower Back Pain
CompletedNot applicableNCT06128538
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common causes of disability, with 68% of adults over 60 years of age suffering from chronic Lower Back Pain (cLBP). In addition to the exacerbation of physical, social and emotional health issues, LBP has a staggeringly high US economic burden. Community-dwelling older adults experience a significant amount of chronic pain and treatments that are effective in their younger adult counterparts (e.g., pain medications, exercise) are often not safe or feasible. Our long-term goal is to decrease cLBP and improve function in older adults residing in continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA), a promising treatment for cLBP, is an auricular (ear-based) treatment intended to compliment traditional allopathic medical treatments for acute and chronic pain. Auricular acupuncture has been implemented and used widely in the US military. Despite emerging evidence supporting the use of BFA in chronic pain, BFA has not been used to treat older adults with cLBP residing in CCRC. To this end, we propose an adapted group BFA protocol for CCRC residents. We will determine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing group BFA for cLBP at the University of Iowa (UI) Family Medicine-affiliated CCRCs by evaluating patient participation rates and retention, comfort with the protocol and satisfaction with the sessions, protocol delivery and ease of use. We will also determine treatment effectiveness by evaluating pain scales in cLBP, pain medication use, mobility, and falls. Data obtained from this study will inform the design of a future clinical trial testing group BFA for the management of cLBP in older adults.
Study details
- Official title
- Implementing Group Battlefield Acupuncture in CCRCs for the Treatment of Chronic Lower
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Device: Auricular acupuncture
- Behavioral: Visual Analog Scale for Pain
- Behavioral: Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire
- Sponsor
- Korey Kennelty
- Organization
- University of Iowa
- Start date
- 2024-10-30
- Primary completion
- 2025-08-15
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 115 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- United States
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * adults \>65 years residing at the Oaknoll Community Center * Chronic lower back pain musculo-skeletal diagnosis * UIHC patient * Some mobility needed (independent or assisted living care levels). Exclusion Criteria: * Anyone not meeting inclusion criteria * Prior BFA acupuncture treatment * Documented dementia diagnosis
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06128538