NCT06316583

Clinical Study on Dry Needling for Primary Dysmenorrhea and Its Preliminary Correlation With Acupoints

Recruiting now NA Last updated 21 May 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing TrP-DN and Acupuncture in Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial in 150 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

1 April 2024

Primary endpoint
31 December 2025

31 December 2026

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Beijing Hospital
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	double
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	150
Start date	1 April 2024
Primary completion	31 December 2025
Estimated completion	31 December 2026
Sites	2 locations across China

Drugs / interventions tested

• TrP-DN and Acupuncture

Conditions studied

• Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial — all drugs for Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial →
• Acupuncture — all drugs for Acupuncture →
• Primary Dysmenorrhea — all drugs for Primary Dysmenorrhea →

Sponsor

Beijing Hospital

Who can join

Adults 18 to 30, female only, with Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial or Acupuncture. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Primary dysmenorrhea refers to menstrual pain not caused by pelvic organic lesions, commonly seen in young women, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. Dry needling therapy targeting myofascial trigger points for primary dysmenorrhea has been preliminarily applied in clinical settings. However, related research is limited with questionable quality, hindering its widespread clinical application. Furthermore, is there a connection between myofascial trigger points in dry needling and acupuncture acupoints in terms of selection and mechanism of action? Could this be a new interpretation of acupuncture theory? These are important questions that have garnered widespread attention. This study employs a randomized patient-blinded controlled design, enrolling primary dysmenorrhea patients aged 18 to 30 years. They are randomly divided into three groups: the trigger point dry needling group, traditional acupuncture treatment group, and trigger point sham needle (placebo) group. Changes in pain levels, quality of life scores, inflammatory factor levels, and local blood flow before and after treatment among the three groups are observed. The aim is to assess the therapeutic effects of dry needling trigger points and acupuncture treatments on primary dysmenorrhea and explore their potential mechanisms of action. By comparing the differences and similarities between dry needling trigger points and acupuncture treatments in terms of acupoint selection, treatment effects, and potential mechanisms of action, this study seeks to preliminarily explore the feasibility of integrating trigger point theory into the meridian 'acupoint' theory, laying the foundation for a modern interpretation of acupuncture

Publications & conference data

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

1. Efficacy of Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling in Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Study Protocol for a Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.
   Sun Y, Yang L, Zhu L, Zhang S, et al · · 2025 · PMID 40933501 · DOI 10.2147/jpr.s537971