Table 1.

Planned visit schedule for treatment and follow-up, indicating visit number and frequency

	Visits
	0	1st	2nd -7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th-14th	15th
			(2 weekly /month)	(follow-up 1st month)	(2nd month)	(follow-up 3rd month)	(every 45 days)	(follow-up 6th month)	(every 2 months)	End of follow-up (1 year)
Patients
Patient’s evaluation and collection of the relevant data	√
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria	√
Explanation of the objectives of the procedure and how it works	√
Informed consent	√
Randomization and blinding		√
Expectation of acupuncture				√		√		√		√
Treatment
Electro-acupuncture (EA)		√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√
Sham acupuncture (SA)		√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√
Outcomes
Visual analogue scale (VAS)	√			√		√		√		√
McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC)	√			√		√		√		√
Medication use	√			√		√		√		√
Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale	√			√		√		√		√
Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2)	√			√		√		√		√
Blood sample collection	√			√		√		√		√
Trial evaluation
Adverse event				√		√		√		√
Outcome assessment										√
Reasons of drop-outs or withdrawals				√		√		√		√
Satisfaction and expectations Survey										√