Is cupping therapy effective in patients with neck pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectivesNeck pain is a significant condition that is second only to depression as a cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Thus, identifying and understanding effective treatment modalities for neck pain is of heightened importance. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of cupping on neck pain from the current literature.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).SettingNine databases, including Chinese, Korean and Japanese databases, were searched for data up to January 2018 with no restrictions on publication language.ParticipantsPatients with neck pain.InterventionsCupping therapy as the sole or add-on intervention compared with no treatment or active controls.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPain severity, functional disability and quality of life.ResultsEighteen RCTs were selected. Compared with the no intervention group, the cupping group exhibited significant reduction in pain (mean difference (MD) −2.42(95% CI −3.98 to −0.86)) and improvement in function (MD −4.34(95% CI −6.77 to −1.19)). Compared with the active control, the cupping group reported significant reduction in pain (p=0.0009) and significantly improved quality of life (p=0.001). The group that received control treatment with cupping therapy (add-on group) displayed significant pain reduction compared with the active control group (p=0.001). Of the 18 studies, only 8 reported occurrence of adverse events, which were mostly mild and temporary.ConclusionsCupping was found to reduce neck pain in patients compared with no intervention or active control groups, or as an add-on treatment. Depending on the type of control group, cupping was also associated with significant improvement in terms of function and quality of life; however, due to the low quality of evidence of the included studies, definitive conclusions could not be drawn from this review. Future well-designed studies are needed to substantiate the effectiveness of cupping on neck pain.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016047218.

Hijama Practices and the Perceived Health Benefits among the People of Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

“…Kim et al study [14], found that cupping therapy is effective in patients with neck and shoulder pain which exhibited a significant reduction in pain and improvement in function. This is in agreement with this study as the patient with neck, shoulder and back pain shows improvement with percentage (82%) and also it was statistically significant.…”

The Role of Cupping Therapy in Pain Management: A Literature Review

“…Cupping is one of the methods used commonly by people to relieve neck pain especially for the non-specific types. Studies conducted in patients with this condition investigated the effectiveness of cupping by measuring the following outcomes: pain intensity, disability scores, and quality of life [41]. The current available evidence indicates that cupping is effective for patients with chronic non-specific neck pain in terms of reduction in pain scores, improvement in disability scores, and quality of life indices compared to no treatment or active controls (physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), heat pack therapy, and acupuncture) [41].…”

“…Studies conducted in patients with this condition investigated the effectiveness of cupping by measuring the following outcomes: pain intensity, disability scores, and quality of life [41]. The current available evidence indicates that cupping is effective for patients with chronic non-specific neck pain in terms of reduction in pain scores, improvement in disability scores, and quality of life indices compared to no treatment or active controls (physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), heat pack therapy, and acupuncture) [41]. Kim et al conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis which included 18 studies, out of which 7 studies used wet cupping while 11 studies used dry cupping as an intervention [41].…”

“…Kim et al conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis which included 18 studies, out of which 7 studies used wet cupping while 11 studies used dry cupping as an intervention [41]. The number of subjects in each study ranged between 40 to 240 [41]. The subjects in the cupping group were reported to have significant reduction in pain scores, and significant improvement in terms of function and quality of life compared with no intervention or active control groups [41].…”

Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement

“…Explanation The procedure and technique for delivering cupping are essential for replication, it is needed to report with sufficient details. The selection of different procedures and techniques of cupping is always determined according to the condition of patients and treatment areas [52]. For example, with fire cupping, the big-ger the fire, the stronger the vacuum, the greater is the suction.…”