The Chinese Medicine Clinic cum Training and Research Centre (Southern District) has been dedicated to advancing evidence-based Chinese medicine and has undertaken multiple randomized controlled trials (RCT) to establish clinical evidence for Chinese medicine treatments. A De Quervain's tenosynovitis (DQt) study, published in Advances in Integrative Medicine in 2019 and Phytomedicine in 2022, has provided strong evidence for acupuncture treatment towards this disease.
This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Centre between 2016 and 2019 to investigate whether acupuncture could alleviate DQt, which causes wrist pain and feeling of weakness. 68 DQt subjects were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture treatment for 2 weeks or waitlist control in a ratio of 1:1. After 2 weeks, the acupuncture group showed significantly reduced pain (mean difference of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for acupuncture vs waitlist control was -16.2 points) and improved grip and pinch strength of affected hands. Effects sustained for 10 weeks (mean difference of VAS score for acupuncture compared with baseline was -30.6 points). Acupuncture appeared safe with no serious adverse events. The study indicated that 2 weeks of acupuncture could reduce pain and improve strength and function in DQt patients, with long-term effects.
This study was the first RCT conducted by the SD CMCTR. Through this study, the Center’s Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) gained valuable and hands-on experience in designing, preparing for, and implementing a clinical trial. This experience has cultivated the atmosphere among the CMPs for initiating further pragmatic research, enabling them to strengthen their evidence-based practice in the future.
