NCT05423145

Self-Administered Acupressure for Veterans With Chronic Back Pain

Completed NA Last updated 2 April 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing self-administered acupressure in Low Back Pain in 297 participants. Completed in 30 March 2026.

Timeline

3 October 2022

Primary endpoint
2 March 2026

30 March 2026

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	VA Office of Research and Development
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	double
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	297
Start date	3 October 2022
Primary completion	2 March 2026
Estimated completion	30 March 2026
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• self-administered acupressure

Conditions studied

• Low Back Pain — all drugs for Low Back Pain →

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development — full company profile →

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Low Back Pain. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Many Veterans experience chronic pain, with back pain the most commonly reported condition. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is moving from reliance on medications to an approach in which non-medication interventions, including complementary and integrative health treatments, are now a first line of care. Acupressure, a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique derived from acupuncture, is emerging as a potentially effective approach for treating several chronic pain conditions and could prove beneficial in helping Veterans manage their chronic low back pain.

This study will determine the effectiveness of self-administered acupressure to treat chronic low back pain. 300 Veterans will be invited to participate in the study. All participants will be asked to attend an introduction to acupressure class and complete a survey when they join the study and again at 6 weeks and 10 weeks. The survey measures assess important outcomes, such as how pain interferes with daily function, as well as other areas that can be affected by pain such as fatigue and sleep quality. After completing the first survey, half of the participants will receive a tablet computer with an app that shows them how to self-administer acupressure for low back pain and will be asked to do daily acupressure sessions for the next 6 weeks. The other half of the participants will receive the tablet computer with the app approximately 10 weeks after completing the final survey based assessment. The investigators anticipate that outcomes will be improved after 6 weeks of acupressure practice, and these improvements will persist for the following 4 weeks.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Self-administered acupressure for veterans with chronic back pain: Study design and methodology of a type 1 hybrid effectiveness implementation randomized controlled trial.
   Murphy SL, Zick SM, Harris RE, Smith SN, et al · · 2023 · PMID 37207810 · DOI 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107232