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ACUPUNCTURE FOR THE POSTOPERATIVE RECOVERY OF HIP FRACTURE PATIENTS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Sponsor: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Summary
Hip surgery is a common and safe medical intervention to restore the functionality and mobility of the hip joint in patients suffering from hip fractures. Despite the advances in surgical techniques, a relatively large proportion of patients suffer from postoperative pain, joint dysfunction and loss of muscle strength. These outcomes hinder rehabilitation, which consequently imposes significant economic burden for health systems. This study aims to assess if the addition of acupuncture to existing postoperative management will improve the following patient outcomes post hip surgery: 1. Postoperative pain 2. Function (muscular strength and mobility) Methods Patients who underwent hip surgery due to unilateral hip fracture, who fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria, will be randomly allocated to either receive postoperative management ONLY (Conventional analgesics and physiotherapy) or with the addition of acupuncture post hip surgery. In additional to standard care, acupuncture will be performed on patients in Group A twice a week from post-operative week (POW) 5 to 8, a total of 8 acupuncture treatments will be administered. From the 2nd to 8th treatment, electroacupuncture and infrared therapeutic lamp will be used. Group B will receive only standard post-operative management. For patients in both Group A and B, primary outcomes will be assessed at the following time points: Post- Operative Week (POW) 0, 6, Post-Operative Month (POM) 6 and 12, while the secondary outcomes will be assessed at the following time points: POW 6, POM 6 and 12. The Primary Outcomes include:1. Modified Harris Hip Score 2. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-100). The Secondary Outcomes include: 1. Timed Up and Go (TUG) assessment. The TUG assessment will be performed thrice during each assessment and an average time will be taken. 2. Lower extremity muscle strength measured using a portable dynamometer. The subject's operated and non-operated side will be measured. Hypothesis The addition of acupuncture to existing postoperative management will reduce pain and enhance functional recovery, better and faster than with postoperative management alone.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
40 Years - 99 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
90
Start Date
2021-10-21
Completion Date
2025-11-14
Last Updated
2025-09-17
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Acupuncture
Both groups A and B will undergo standard postoperative management program. This includes conventional analgesia and physiotherapy POD 1, 2 and 3, followed by 5x/week until discharge, post-discharge, patients will continue physiotherapy 1-2x/ week for 3 months depending on their rate of recovery. In addition, acupuncture treatment will be delivered for the treatment group. Acupuncture will be performed 2x/week from postoperative week (POW) 5 to POW 8, a total of 8 acupuncture treatments will be administered. From the 2nd to 8th treatment, electroacupuncture and infrared therapeutic lamp will be used. The acupuncture needles to be used for this study are Kinhong/MAC sterile acupuncture needles for single use. The needles will be left in situ for 20 minutes. Electrical stimulation will be delivered at 2Hz for 20 min, at an intensity below individual patient's pain threshold. 4 acupuncture points will be stimulated in pairs.
Post-operative standard care
Standard postoperative management program includes: conventional analgesia and physiotherapy POD 1, 2 and 3, followed by 5x/week until discharge. Post-discharge, patients will continue physiotherapy 1-2x/ week for 3 months depending on their rate of recovery. No acupuncture given
Locations (2)
Admiralty Medical Centre (Khoo Teck Puat Hospital- KTPH @ ADMC )
Singapore, Singapore
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Singapore, Singapore