Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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Meta Analysis
Identifying patients with chronic pain who respond to acupuncture: results from an individual patient data meta-analysis.
In a recent individual patient data meta-analysis, acupuncture was found to be superior to sham and non-sham controls in patients with chronic pain. It has been suggested that a subgroup of patients has an exceptional response to acupuncture. We hypothesized the presence of exceptional acupuncture responders would lead to a different distribution of pain scores in acupuncture versus control groups, with the former being skewed to the right. ⋯ We did not find evidence to support the notion that there are exceptional acupuncture responders. The challenge remains to identify features of chronic pain patients that can be used to distinguish those that have a good response to acupuncture treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of pain neuroscience education and dry needling for the management of patients with chronic myofascial neck pain: a randomized clinical trial.
The aim of this study was to observe the medium-term effects on pain, disability, and psychological factors of a combination of myofascial trigger point (MTrP) dry needling (DN) with pain neuroscience education (PNE) versus DN alone versus control care as usual (CUC) in patients with chronic neck pain. ⋯ DN alone was more effective at reducing chronic non-specific neck pain and disability than CUC at 3-month follow-up. However, the inclusion of PNE combined with DN resulted in greater improvements in kinesiophobia, pain anxiety, and pain-related beliefs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of dry needling of active trigger points in the scalene muscles in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial.
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of dry needling (DN) versus pressure release over scalene muscle trigger points (TrPs) on pain, related disability, and inspiratory vital capacity in individuals with neck pain. ⋯ This trial suggests that a single session of DN over active TrPs in the scalene muscles could be effective at reducing pain and increasing inspiratory vital capacity in individuals with mechanical neck pain. Future studies are needed to further confirm these results.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Electroacupuncture versus manual acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled pilot trial.
We aimed to explore the feasibility of evaluating the comparative effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) relative to manual acupuncture (MA) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). ⋯ Both EA and MA interventions in KOA were feasible and appeared safe. Whether or not EA may have a stronger impact on pain and function requires further evaluation through larger, adequately powered, randomized controlled trials.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Acupuncture for postprandial distress syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot trial.
Evidence for treating postprandial distress syndrome with acupuncture is limited. ⋯ Four weeks of acupuncture may represent a potential treatment for postprandial distress syndrome. The treatment protocol and outcome measures used in this trial were feasible. Since this was a pilot study, the efficacy of acupuncture still needs to be determined by a larger, adequately powered trial.