Acupuncture for Atraumatic Shoulder Conditions: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

IntroductionShoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders among adults and is caused by a variety of shoulder conditions. The popularity of different acupuncture methods in the nonsurgical treatment of shoulder pain has recently increased. However, evidence regarding the efficacy of acupuncture for shoulder pain is inconsistent, and there is a lack of supporting evidence regarding the overall efficacy of different acupuncture methods for shoulder pain.Methods and AnalysisA systematic review will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of a wide range of acupuncture techniques for atraumatic shoulder conditions. The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, Chinese Biomedical Literature, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chongqing VIP databases will be searched to identify eligible studies. Studies will be selected according to preset inclusion and exclusion criteria and relevant data will be extracted from the final included studies. The heterogeneity, risk of bias, publication bias and evidence quality of the studies will be assessed, and a subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will be performed.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO registration number CRD42021249625.

Application of Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain Over the Past 22 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Most studies, including RCTs and reviews, were related to acupuncture treatment for shoulder pain. Some of these included studies reported that acupuncture is effective in relieving shoulder pain, 43,44 whereas others did not mention whether it is effective or ineffective in treating shoulder pain 26 or whether it is ineffective in treating shoulder pain; 45 Different acupuncture methods or tools have been used in studies on acupuncture to treat shoulder pain, such as bee venom acupuncture, 46 auricular acupuncture, 47 fire needles, 48,49 small needle-knife, 41 thread-embedding acupuncture, 50 warm-needle moxibustion and heat-sensitive moxibustion, 6 electroacupuncture, 51 and sharp-hook acupuncture. 52 Some studies are related to summarizing the common acupoints rules of acupuncture treating and moxibustion in shoulder pain, such as Tiaokou; 53 Chengshan acupoint; 54 Baihui acupoint; 55 Ashi points stimulation; 56 Zhongfu, Tianfu, Xiabai, Binao, Naohui, Jianliao, and Xiaoluo points; 57 distal-needling acupuncture; 58 and acupuncture on the opposite side of the pain to treat long-term shoulder pain.…”

Effects of acupuncture on pain and function in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A randomized sham-controlled trial

“… 13 In addition, no clear conclusion has yet been reached on whether acupuncture treatment provides additional benefit to exercise in SIS. 14 , 15 …”