Recruiting

Imagined Acupuncture

Sponsor:

Jingping Wang, MD, Ph.D.

Code:

NCT07197710

Conditions

Pain Management

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT)

Education video

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether imagined acupuncture can reduce postoperative acute pain in adult patients undergoing spinal surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does video-guided imagined acupuncture improve postoperative pain control?

Does the intervention reduce opioid consumption and improve functional recovery in the immediate postoperative period?

Researchers will compare the imagined acupuncture group to the control education video group to see if imagery-based intervention leads to better pain outcomes and reduced analgesic use.

Participants will:

Watch a 30-minute video once daily for 7 consecutive days after surgery

Complete pain and function assessments during the hospital stay and postoperative follow-up

Conditions

Pain Management

Study ID

NCT07197710

Start date

Oct 1, 2025

Status verified date

Sep, 2025

Completion date

Sep 19, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 19, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Undergoing 1- to 2-level primary spine surgery
  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Willing and able to receive postoperative imagined acupuncture (VGAIT)
  • Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Undergoing revision surgery or procedures involving more than 3 spinal levels
  • History of prior spinal surgery
  • Intraoperative complications likely to interfere with postoperative pain assessment
  • Diagnosed with severe cognitive impairment or psychiatric disorders that impair participation or communication
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Unable to cooperate with treatment or pain assessments Individuals with uncorrectable vision impairment that would interfere with viewing study videos or completing study questionnaires.

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Group 1: Imagined Acupuncture Intervention

Participants assigned to Group 1 will receive standard postoperative care and a daily VGAIT session once per day for seven consecutive days following surgery. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes and will be guided by a standardized video designed to induce acupuncture imagery and mental engagement. VGAIT will be administered at the same time each day (e.g., 9:00 AM ± 30 minutes). VAS and ODI assessments will be administered following the completion of the video session. The initial video session will be administered once the patient has fully regained consciousness in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) following surgery.

sham comparator: Group 2: Education video

Participants in the control group will receive standard postoperative care and Education video without any simulated acupuncture intervention. VAS and ODI assessments will be conducted at the same intervals as in Group 1 for consistency and comparison.

Interventions

video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT)

Unlike traditional acupuncture, VGAIT can be self-administered and does not require physical needle insertion, making it a practical alternative for patients seeking non-invasive pain management.

Education video

Education video about postoperative precautions

Primary outcome measure

  • Pain Scores (VAS) [ Time Frame: During the first postoperative week (Days 0-6) ]
  • 2) Functional Scores (ODI) [ Time Frame: On postoperative Day6 ]
  • 3) Rescue Opioid Consumption [ Time Frame: On postoperative Day6 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jingping Wang Associate Professor

6176432729JWANG23@mgh.harvard.edu

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114

Contacts

Jingping Wang

6176432729jwang23@MGH.Harvard.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Jingping Wang, MD, Ph.D.

Last update posted

Jun 8, 2026

Last verified

Sep, 2025

Keywords

  • Postoperative Acute Pain
  • Imagined Acupuncture

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Jingping Wang, MD, Ph.D. on 2026-06-08.