Acupuncture Combined with Herbal Cake-Separated Moxibustion for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Sequelae of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND

Acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion may be an effective treatment option for chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in sequelae of pelvic inflammatory disease (SPID), yet safety and feasibility evidence remain scarce.

METHODS

This is a single-center, two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the experiment group (acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion) or the control group (acupuncture only) in a 1:1 ratio. Treatment will be administered 3 times per week, totaling 24 sessions over an 8-week period, followed by a 4-week follow-up. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score will be used as the primary outcome. Adverse events will be documented throughout the trial.

CONCLUSION

Results of this trial may provide clinical evidence for the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture combined with herbal cake-separated moxibustion in the treatment of CPP. The findings of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

ETHICS/REGISTRATION: This trial has been approved by the ethics committee of participating hospital (No. S2023-06-29-3) and registered in International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (No. ITMCTR2026000339).