ACU_Knee: Role of Acupuncture in Knee Prosthetic Surgery

Launched by FONDAZIONE IRCCS POLICLINICO SAN MATTEO DI PAVIA · Aug 8, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called ACU_Knee, is looking at whether acupuncture can help manage pain after knee replacement surgery. Knee replacement surgery is often done to relieve severe arthritis pain, but managing pain afterward can be tricky. Good pain control is important because it helps patients start moving their new knee sooner, which is key for healing and avoiding problems like stiffness, long-term pain, or needing more surgery. This study aims to see if acupuncture, a treatment where thin needles are placed in specific spots on the body, can improve pain relief and overall recovery after surgery.

The trial is open to adults over 18 who are having a knee replacement on one knee due to arthritis and are able to give consent to participate. Some people won’t be eligible, such as those with certain health conditions, infections, or who are taking specific medications. If you join, you will receive acupuncture treatment around the time of your surgery, and researchers will monitor your pain levels, recovery progress, and inflammation markers in your body. The goal is to find safer and more effective ways to manage pain so patients can heal faster and feel better after knee replacement surgery.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients aged \> 18 years
• • Patients capable of providing informed consent
• • Unilateral total knee replacement surgery
• • Indication for surgery: primary osteoarthritis degeneration
• • Surgery performed electively
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients aged \< 18 years
• • Patients incapable of providing informed consent
• • Patients with ASA class \> 3
• • Pregnant women
• • Patients with rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune disorders
• • Patients with active infection under antibiotic treatment
• • Patients on chronic opioid therapy
• • Patients on chronic biological drug therapy
• • Patients with a history of corticosteroid use in the six months prior to surgery
• • Patients with a history of periarticular infiltration in the three months prior to surgery
• • Patients in whom loco-regional anesthesia is contraindicated
• • Patients in whom NSAID, cortisone, and paracetamol therapy is contraindicated
• • Bilateral total knee replacement surgery or prosthetic revision surgeries
• • Indication for surgery for causes other than primary osteoarthritis degeneration