Mina Wang,1,2,* Yashuo Ren,1,* Hongli Xiao,1 Anming Liu,1,2 Chunying Ma,2 Zhuohao Li,2 Zixi Wang,2 Qiuyu Xia,2 Pu Dou,1 Bin Li,2 Peng Chen2 

1Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100010, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Peng Chen; Bin Li, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Neuromodulation, No. 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Beijing, Dongcheng District, 100010, People’s Republic of China, Email chenpenger@126.com; libin@bjzhongyi.com

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD)-related chronic pain is a prevalent non-motor symptom, this study aimed to detect the effect and safety of fire needling therapy (FNT) for PD-related chronic pain relief.
Methods: Patients with PD-related chronic pain were randomly allocated to FNT group and control group with a treatment phase of 8 weeks and a follow-up phase of 4 weeks. Primary outcome was the King’s Parkinson’s Pain Scale (KPPS), Secondary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III (UPDRS-III), and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39). Study was registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registered number: ChiCTR2400084951).
Results: 60 participants were randomized, with 30 in the FNT group and 30 in the control group. KPPS was significantly influenced by the interaction of treatment and time, with a significant reduction in pain observed in the FNT group compared to the control group at Week 4 (difference [95% CI]: − 20.693[− 27.619,-13.767], P< 0.001), Week 8 (difference [95% CI]: 44.680[− 52.359,-37.000], P< 0.001), and Week 12 (difference [95% CI]: − 44.982[− 52.771,-37.193], P< 0.001). For VAS, UPDRS-III, and PDQ-39, there were significant differences between groups at Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12.
Conclusion: FNT could be an effective and safe method for managing PD-related chronic pain. However, large-sample studies conducted in multiple centers are necessary to further verify the findings in the future.

Keywords: parkinson’s disease, pain, fire needling therapy, acupuncture, pilot randomized controlled trial