N/A
N=93
Pain Relief With Integrative Medicine (PRIMe)?: Feasibility of Acupuncture for Long COVID
Long COVID · Pain
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06476496 ↗Enrolled (actual)
93
Serious AEs
22.6%
Results posted
May 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Pain, Enjoyment and General Activity (PEG) — 6.74; 6.74; 8.33; 9.33 Score
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Acupuncture (Procedure)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- University of Washington
- Primary completion
- Mar 2025
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Pain, Enjoyment and General Activity (PEG) |
6.74; 6.74; 8.33; 9.33; 4.95; 6.03 | — |
| SECONDARY Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) Short Form |
12.37; 12.62; 9.48; 11.68; 7.52; 11.97 | — |
| SECONDARY PROMIS-29 |
37.44; 37.62; 38.95; 37.03; 40.39; 37.97 | — |
| SECONDARY PROMIS Cognitive Function |
33.52; 31.56; 35.62; 33.04; 37.87; 32.92 | — |
| SECONDARY UW Pain Related Self-Efficacy Scale (PRSE) |
44.24; 43.71; 47.75; 45.23; 44.9; 44.98 | — |
Summary
The goal of this preliminary study is to test methods and procedures to be used in a fully-powered trial to evaluate acupuncture treatment effectiveness. Specifically, we will test the feasibility of conducting a 2-arm randomized clinical trial for evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain in patients with long COVID. Researchers will compare pain intensity and impact on general activities over 5 months in those who receive acupuncture treatment compared to patients who are receiving usual long COVID care.
Participants will complete 4 online surveys at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 20. These surveys include validated mental and physical health questionnaires. Participants who are randomly selected to receive the intervention will receive 8 acupuncture treatment sessions.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- ≥ 18 years of age at the time of consent.
- Previous suspected, probable, or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, as defined by the Pan American Health Organization
- Report pain symptoms including musculoskeletal pain (joint, muscle, bone pain), chest pain, abdominal pain, headache, back pain, nerve pain, and pain in ear following a SARS-CoV-2 infection that has persisted for at least 12 weeks and is still present at the time of consent.
- Report pain intensity (0-10 scale) ≥4 in the last 7 days.28
- As of today, has been seen by a clinician in the UW Long COVID Clinic either in-person or via telehealth/virtual visit
- Able to speak and read English and provide informed consent to complete the study requirements.
Exclusion Criteria
- <18 years of age at the time of consent.
- Reports absence of pain, pain for less than 12 weeks, or a pain intensity <4 over the last 7 days.
- Report baseline level of pain for those who have pre-existing chronic pain (i.e., chronic pain condition(s) present prior to COVID-19 illness AND chronic pain not worsened post-COVID).
- Already received acupuncture treatment for long COVID symptoms.
- Unable to travel to the UW Northgate Clinic once a week for 8 weeks for acupuncture treatments.
- Has seizure disorder with high risk of seizure (i.e., new diagnosis of seizure disorder and/or new medication in the last 3 months, or uncontrolled/unclear triggers for seizures).
- Is currently Pregnant
- Is receiving active cancer therapy
- Has severe neutropenia (<500 WBC) due to any cause within the last 6 months
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06476496). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.