Acupuncture for Spinal Cord Injury and Its Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for SCI and its complications, we conducted search across 19 electronic databases to find all of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupuncture as a treatment for SCI and its complications. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the PEDro scale. Sixteen RCTs, including 2 high-quality RCTs, met our inclusion criteria (8 for functional recovery from SCI, 6 for bladder dysfunction, and 2 for pain control). The meta-analysis showed positive results for the use of acupuncture combined with conventional treatments for the functional recovery in terms of motor ASIA scores and total FIM scores when compared to conventional treatments alone. Positive results were also obtained for the treatment of bladder dysfunction, in terms of the total efficacy rate, when comparing acupuncture to conventional treatments. However, 2 RCTs for pain control reported conflicting results. Our systematic review found encouraging albeit limited evidence for functional recovery, bladder dysfunction, and pain in SCI. However, to obtain stronger evidence without the drawbacks of trial design and the quality of studies, we recommend sham-controlled RCTs or comparative effectiveness research for each condition to test the effectiveness of acupuncture.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in persons with spinal cord injury in Switzerland: a survey study

“…13 A meta-analysis showed positive results for the use of acupuncture for pain in SCI. 14 Besides acupuncture, several other CAM methods demonstrated positive effects on pain treatment in SCI patients. Prospective studies demonstrated a beneficial effect of osteopathy on chronic pain, 15 and self-hypnosis produced significant and long-lasting pain relief.…”

“…For acupuncture, meta-analyses exist, showing positive results not only for pain, but for bladder dysfunction and functional recovery (American Spinal Injury Association motor scores and total functional independence measure scores). 14 For homeopathy in SCI patients, besides the mentioned case study for UTI prophylaxis, 5 only some case reports about homeopathic treatment of pain and spasticity 19 and epididymitis 20 exist. No data were available for Schuessler salts, which seems to be a CAM technique limited to German-speaking countries.…”

Integrative Korean medicine as a possible conservative treatment for mild cervical spondylotic myelopathy

“…[ 12 ] A recent systematic review suggested that acupuncture was effective for functional recovery, bladder dysfunction, and pain in spinal cord injury. [ 13 ] Bee venom herbal acupuncture showed anti-neuro inflammatory effects by reducing interleukin-6 levels, increasing interleukin-10 concentration, and inducing recovery by minimizing locomotor deficits in the rat model of spinal cord injury. [ 14 , 15 ] Acupotomy, which is a procedure combined acupuncture and surgical knife, used to treat chronic soft tissue injury and bone hyperplasia with a bladed needle that has a thick flat-head and a cylindrical body.…”

Fire Needle Acupuncture Regulates Wnt/ERK Multiple Pathways to Promote Neural Stem Cells to Differentiate into Neurons in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious central nervous system (CNS) injury, causing loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the lesion due to the disruption of neuronal axons passing through the damaged segments [1, 2]. Currently, the treatment of SCI mainly focused on two aspects [3, 4]: one is neuroprotection, by reducing or eliminating secondary pathological response to protect residual axons and neuronal cells, such as steroids [5], topiramate [6], nimodipine, Chinese herbs, and acupuncture [7-9]; the other one is nerve regeneration and repairment, by promoting the regeneration of neurons and rebuilding the synaptic connections, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [10] treatment, gene therapy, and neural stem cell therapy [11, 12].…”