Electroacupuncture as a Treatment for Refractory Overactive Bladder (EAOAB)

Elmas, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether electroacupuncture (EA) is as effective and acceptable as percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in treating overactive bladder (OAB) in adult women. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does electroacupuncture reduce OAB symptoms to a similar extent as PTNS? Is electroacupuncture an acceptable and accessible treatment option for women with OAB?

Researchers will compare EA and PTNS with a third group receiving sham acupuncture to see whether EA offers similar or better symptom relief and is more acceptable to participants.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to one of three groups: EA, PTNS, or sham acupuncture

Receive one treatment session per week for 12 weeks

Complete symptom diaries, quality-of-life questionnaires, and feedback on treatment acceptability

Attend follow-up assessments after treatment ends

The study will take place at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, with support from the hospital's Physiotherapy and Urology departments. It is funded by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Joint Research Committee (JRC) and Supported by Imperial Collage London.

Conditions

Over Active Bladder, Urinary Incontinence (UI), Nocturia

Clinical Trial

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT07124390