Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Neck Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

作者：LiMin Fu, Ju-Tzu Li, Wen-Shuo Wu · 发表于：The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · 年份：2009 · DOI：10.1089/acm.2008.0135 · 被引用次数：86 · 研究领域：Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies、Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment、Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to assess the effectiveness and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neck pain. DATA SOURCES: The following computerized databases were searched from their inception to January 2008: MEDLINE (PubMed), ALT HEALTH WATCH (EBSCO), CINAHL, and Cochrane Central. REVIEW METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for neck pain. Two (2) reviewers independently extracted data concerning study characteristics, methods, and outcomes, as well as performed quality assessment based on the adapted criteria of Jadad. RESULTS: Fourteen (14) studies were included in this review. Meta-analysis was performed only in the absence of statistically significant heterogeneity among studies that were selected for testing a specific clinical hypothesis. While only a single meta-analysis was done in previous reviews, this review performed nine meta-analyses addressing different clinical issues. Seven out of nine meta-analyses yielded positive results. In particular, the meta-analysis based on the primary outcome of short-term pain reduction found that acupuncture was more effective than the control in the treatment of neck pain, with a pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) of -0.45 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.69 to -0.22). Moreover, the meta-analysis with a pooled SMD of -0.53 (95% CI, -0.94 to -0.11) showed that acupuncture was significantly more effective than sham acupuncture f...