Acupressure for Knee Pain
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Arthritis, Osteoarthritis (OA) |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Rheumatology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 65 - Any |
| Updated: | 2/7/2015 |
| Start Date: | August 2013 |
| End Date: | January 2015 |
| Contact: | Dana Wolford, MS |
| Email: | dminnick@umich.edu |
| Phone: | 734 763 3435 |
Acupressure for the Treatment of Pain in Older Adults With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of disability in the elderly and this
disability is commonly attributed to knee pain. Current treatments for knee pain are only
modestly efficacious, and some common treatments like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDS) have adverse long-term effects. Acupressure is an inexpensive and noninvasive
treatment that has the potential to be a useful long-term self-management strategy for pain.
Acupressure can be easily taught and is safe enough to self-apply without supervision. The
primary objective of this project is to determine whether self-administered acupressure is
an effective and feasible self-management strategy for older adults with symptomatic KOA.
Participants will be randomized to three treatment groups: pain-relief acupressure, sham
acupressure, and usual care (UC). The intervention will last for 8 weeks during which
participants in the pain-relief and sham acupressure groups will be taught the assigned
treatment by a trained research assistant who is blinded to the treatment arm, and provided
with a digital video disc to aid their practice at home. The research assistant will make
weekly phone calls to support the participants' adherence to treatment. The UC group will
receive no intervention from the research team. Data will be collected at baseline,
mid-point (4 weeks after baseline) and the end ( 8 weeks) of the intervention. These results
will help us assess the efficacy of pain-relief acupressure on knee pain in older adults,
and allow us to calculate effect sizes to determine the appropriate sample size for a
larger future study. Since no studies have involved older adults in self-administered
acupressure, information about feasibility of and adherence to using this method in older
adults would be invaluable.
disability is commonly attributed to knee pain. Current treatments for knee pain are only
modestly efficacious, and some common treatments like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDS) have adverse long-term effects. Acupressure is an inexpensive and noninvasive
treatment that has the potential to be a useful long-term self-management strategy for pain.
Acupressure can be easily taught and is safe enough to self-apply without supervision. The
primary objective of this project is to determine whether self-administered acupressure is
an effective and feasible self-management strategy for older adults with symptomatic KOA.
Participants will be randomized to three treatment groups: pain-relief acupressure, sham
acupressure, and usual care (UC). The intervention will last for 8 weeks during which
participants in the pain-relief and sham acupressure groups will be taught the assigned
treatment by a trained research assistant who is blinded to the treatment arm, and provided
with a digital video disc to aid their practice at home. The research assistant will make
weekly phone calls to support the participants' adherence to treatment. The UC group will
receive no intervention from the research team. Data will be collected at baseline,
mid-point (4 weeks after baseline) and the end ( 8 weeks) of the intervention. These results
will help us assess the efficacy of pain-relief acupressure on knee pain in older adults,
and allow us to calculate effect sizes to determine the appropriate sample size for a
larger future study. Since no studies have involved older adults in self-administered
acupressure, information about feasibility of and adherence to using this method in older
adults would be invaluable.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 65 or older
- Community-living (i.e., own home, senior residence, apartment)
- Have a physician diagnosis of knee OA
- Current persistent pain (pain ≥ 4 on a 1-10 Visual Analogue Scale on 50% or more of
days) that has lasted for 3 months or longer
- Ability to speak and write in English
- Adequate cognitive status (score > 5 on the 6-item screener)
- Adequate functional ability to administer the acupressure protocol (e.g., able to use
fingers or device to apply pressure to acupoints, able to easily reach feet to access
acupoints)
- Ability to demonstrate understanding of treatment protocol through demonstration
after being instructed
- Ambulatory with or without an assistive device
- Adequate hearing and vision to follow study protocol
- Agree not to start any new therapy for pain control during the study period
- Have a telephone and television
Exclusion Criteria:
- Receiving active cancer treatment
- Have a bleeding diathesis condition
- Have health conditions that could confound the effect of acupressure (e.g.,
rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetic neuropathy)
- Had knee replacement surgery
- Planned or current involvement in physical therapy, acupuncture or acupressure during
the study period or receipt of any of these in the previous 3 months
- Knee injection in prior 6 weeks with no planned injection during the study period
- Chronic use of opioid therapy
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