PAIN+ CPN

BACKGROUND: Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder and a major contributor to disability. Although acupuncture is beneficial for CNP, evidence on the optimal treatment frequency, particularly in young adults, remains limited.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of different electroacupuncture treatment frequencies in young adults with CNP.

METHODS: In this single-center, three-arm randomized controlled trial, 90 young adults with CNP were randomized 1:1:1 to three sessions per week (TSWA), one session per week (OSWA), or a waiting-list control (WL). Both acupuncture groups received bilateral electroacupuncture at Jingbailao (EX-HN15) and Jianzhongshu (SI15) for 30 min per session for 4 weeks. Participants and the treating acupuncturist were not blinded; outcome assessors and statisticians were blinded. The primary outcome was the Northwick Park Questionnaire (NPQ). Secondary outcomes were VAS, SF-MPQ, PPT, and PTO. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle with multiple imputation.

RESULTS: All 90 randomized participants were included in the analysis. Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for all outcomes (all P < 0.001). At week 4, both acupuncture groups were superior to WL. TSWA was also superior to OSWA for NPQ (P = 0.0196), VAS (P = 0.0042), SF-MPQ (P = 0.0200), and PTO (P = 0.0038), but not PPT (P = 0.0869). At 4-week follow-up, TSWA remained superior to OSWA only for VAS (P = 0.007); NPQ and SF-MPQ no longer differed significantly between groups.

CONCLUSION: Both treatment frequencies improved pain, functional disability, and selected pain-threshold outcomes compared with WL. Three sessions per week produced greater short-term benefit, but its longer-term advantage was limited and was retained only for VAS at follow-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry, ITMCTR2025001658.

Rehab Clinician (OT/PT) rater

The study addresses a clinically relevant question by comparing the effects of different electroacupuncture treatment frequencies in chronic neck pain. However, its direct contribution to physiotherapy practice and its clinical novelty are limited because the intervention does not directly focus on physiotherapy approaches, the study was conducted at a single center, and the follow-up period was short.

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