Evaluating Acupuncture and Amitriptyline for the Treatment of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI's) to the Arm

December 2000-August 2003

Project Description - This randomized control trial based at Harvard Medical School 's Osher Institute (n=270) investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture and an antidepressant, amitriptyline, in individuals with persistent arm pain due to RSIs. This trial employed a novel design involving two separate randomizations for each subject, permitting the testing of a number of hypotheses including: 1) Does the effect of active acupuncture or amitriptyline provide greater pain relief and functional improvement in RSI than their respective placebos; and 2) Does the effect of sham acupuncture differ from placebo pills.

Current Status (January 2004) - The target enrollment of 270 subjects was achieved in early March 2003. Papers are under review. A series of manuscripts have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals.

Principal Investigator - Ted Kaptchuk, LicAc ( Harvard Medical School 's Osher Institute)

NESA Participants:
Acupuncture Providers - Jonathan Ammen, LicAc; Ellen Highfield, LicAc; Daniel Karp, LicAc; Joseph Kay, LicAc; Joe Kelliher, LicAc; Karen Kirchoff, LicAc; Mark Mills, LicAc; Bella Rosner, LicAc; Dinah Shatz, LicAc

NESA Coordinators - Barbara Parton , RN, LicAc; Peter Wayne , PhD

NESA Student Interns provided courtesy acupuncture to subjects who received sham treatments

Co-Investigators - William B. Stason, MD; Rosa Schnyer, DiplAc, LicAc; Cathy Kerr, PhD (1); Roger Davis , ScD (2); Rose Goldman, MD

Collaborating Institutions - (1) Harvard Medical School's Osher Institute, (2) Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital (BIDMC); (3) Cambridge Hospital

Funding Agency - NIH---Grant # RO1AT 000402

Research Faculty and Staff

Ongoing or Completed Studies:

• Seminar Series
• Faculty Publications
• NEWTT (NESA East-West Think Tank)