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Cited by 2Acupuncture Treatment Research StudiesAnesthesia and Pain ManagementShoulder Injury and Treatment

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The effectiveness of battlefield acupuncture in addition to standard physical therapy treatment after shoulder surgery: a protocol for a randomized clinical trial

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Crowell, Michael S., Brindle, Richard A., Mason, John S., Pitt, Will, Miller, Erin M., Posner, Matthew A., Cameron, Kenneth L., Goss, Donald L.·2020·Trials
DOI 10.1186/s13063-020-04909-8PMC PMC7713004

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Abstract

Introduction: There is a large incidence of shoulder instability among active young athletes and military personnel. Shoulder stabilization surgery is the commonly employed intervention for treating individuals with instability. Following surgery, a substantial proportion of individuals experience acute post-operative pain, which is usually managed with opioid pain medications. Unfortunately, the extended use of opioid medications can have adverse effects that impair function and reduce military operational readiness, but there are currently few alternatives. However, battlefield acupuncture (BFA) is a minimally invasive therapy demonstrating promise as a non-pharmaceutical intervention for managing acute post-operative pain. Methods: This is a parallel, two-arm, single-blind randomized clinical trial. The two independent variables are intervention (2 levels, standard physical therapy and standard physical therapy plus battlefield acupuncture) and time (5 levels, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 1 week, and 4 weeks post shoulder stabilization surgery). The primary dependent variables are worst and average pain as measured on the visual analog scale. Secondary outcomes include medication usage, Profile of Mood States, and Global Rating of Change. Discussion: The magnitude of the effect of BFA is uncertain; current studies report confidence intervals of between-group differences that include minimal clinically important differences between intervention and control groups. The results of this study may help determine if BFA is an effective adjunct to physical therapy in reducing pain and opioid usage in acute pain conditions. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04094246 . Registered on 16 September 2019.

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Figures

Fig. 1 Proposed recruitment flow for the study along with interventions performed and outcomes collected at each post-surgical timepoint. BFA, battlefield acupuncture; VAS, visual analog scale; POMS, Profile of Mood States; GROC, Global Rating of Change Scale
Fig. 1 Proposed recruitment flow for the study along with interventions performed and outcomes collected at each post-surgical timepoint. BFA, battlefield acupuncture; VAS, visual analog scale; POMS, Profile of Mood States; GROC, Global Rating of Change ScaleCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 The five auricular acupuncture points of the battlefield acupuncture protocol
Fig. 2 The five auricular acupuncture points of the battlefield acupuncture protocolCC BY · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Crowell, M. S., Brindle, R. A., Mason, J. S., Pitt, W., Miller, E. M., Posner, M. A., Cameron, K. L., & Goss, D. L.
Affiliations
  • Baylor University (US)
  • Keller Army Community Hospital (US)
  • High Point University (US)
Corresponding author
Crowell, Michael S.
ORCID
Venue
Trials
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-12
Volume
21
Issue
1
Pages
995-995
ISSN
1745-6215 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s13063-020-04909-8
PMC
PMC7713004
OpenAlex
W3109050067
Cited by
2
References
4
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2023: 1
FWCI
0.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Trials (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (MIRROR)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Pain Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Shoulder Injury and Treatment
Keywords
battlefield acupuncture, shoulder stabilization surgery, shoulder instability, postoperative pain, physiotherapy, opioid use, non-pharmacological pain management, military personnel, mood states
MeSH terms
Humans, Joint Instability, Shoulder, Shoulder Joint, Acupuncture Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Single-Blind Method, Treatment Outcome, Physical Therapy Modalities

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The effectiveness of battlefield acupuncture in addition to standard physical therapy treatment after shoulder surgery: a protocol for a randomized clinical trial. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1186/s13063-020-04909-8
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Crowell, M. S., Brindle, R. A., Mason, J. S., Pitt, W., Miller, E. M., Posner, M. A., Cameron, K. L., & Goss, D. L. (2020). The effectiveness of battlefield acupuncture in addition to standard physical therapy treatment after shoulder surgery: a protocol for a randomized clinical trial. Trials. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04909-8