CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Med.
Sec. Translational Medicine
Efficacy of Fu's Subcutaneous Needling for Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain and Its Effect on Muscle Elasticity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 2Zhongshan Torch Development Zone People's Hospital, Zhongshan, China
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Objective: Chronic non-specific neck pain (CNNP) is a prevalent cause of disability worldwide, yet effective and safe treatment options remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Fu's Subcutaneous Needling (FSN) therapy compared with standard acupuncture and to explore its effect on muscle elasticity using shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 70 patients with CNNP were assigned to receive either FSN therapy (n = 35) or filiform needle acupuncture (n = 35). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after treatment and at one-month follow-up. SWE was used to quantify the elasticity modulus of the upper trapezius muscle. Results: Both groups showed significant improvement after treatment; however, the FSN group demonstrated greater reductions in NDI and VAS scores (P < 0.05). SWE values decreased significantly following FSN therapy (P < 0.05) but not after filiform acupuncture. Moreover, SWE values correlated strongly with NDI and VAS scores (P < 0.05). No adverse events were reported. Conclusion: FSN therapy is a safe and minimally invasive treatment that provides a relatively good improvement in pain and disability compared with standard acupuncture, while simultaneously restoring muscle elasticity. The integration of SWE as an objective biomarker highlights both the clinical effectiveness and mechanistic insights of FSN, supporting its role as a relatively effective non-pharmacological intervention for CNNP. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200062436). Registered on 07 August 2022.
Keywords: Fu's Subcutaneous Needling, Chronic non-specific neck pain, Muscle elasticity, Shear wave elastography, randomized controlled trial, Standard acupuncture
Received: 08 Sep 2025; Accepted: 29 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gu, Zhou, Liu, Zhu and Liao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yingying Liao, edith87@163.com
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