INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD)-related chronic pain is a prevalent non-motor symptom, this study aimed to detect the effect and safety of fire needling therapy (FNT) for PD-related chronic pain relief.
METHODS: Patients with PD-related chronic pain were randomly allocated to FNT group and control group with a treatment phase of 8 weeks and a follow-up phase of 4 weeks. Primary outcome was the King's Parkinson's Pain Scale (KPPS), Secondary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III (UPDRS-III), and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39). Study was registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registered number: ChiCTR2400084951).
RESULTS: 60 participants were randomized, with 30 in the FNT group and 30 in the control group. KPPS was significantly influenced by the interaction of treatment and time, with a significant reduction in pain observed in the FNT group compared to the control group at Week 4 (difference [95% CI]: -20.693[-27.619,-13.767], P<0.001), Week 8 (difference [95% CI]: 44.680[-52.359,-37.000], P<0.001), and Week 12 (difference [95% CI]: -44.982[-52.771,-37.193], P<0.001). For VAS, UPDRS-III, and PDQ-39, there were significant differences between groups at Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12.
CONCLUSION: FNT could be an effective and safe method for managing PD-related chronic pain. However, large-sample studies conducted in multiple centers are necessary to further verify the findings in the future.
| Discipline Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Rehab Clinician (OT/PT) |  |
| Physician |  |
Physician rater
A monocentric pilot RCT with promising results that need to be confirmed with more methodologically robust RCTs.
Physician rater
The results could not exclude psychological factors.
Physician rater
Chronic pain in PD patients is frequently neglected. There are several options to treat chronic pain with different results based on motor fluctuations and dopaminergic pharmacodynamics. Acupuncture and its modalities could relieve pain in very specific settings; cultural acceptance is needed and a good trained operator is mandatory. Acupuncture must be discussed carefully with patients to obtain better results.
, McMaster University