A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Jae-Woo Shim,1 Jae-Young Jung,1 and Sung-Soo Kim1,2
1 Department of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
2 Hospital of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Affiliations Expand
Abstract
Purpose. This study aims to verify the effects of electroacupuncture treatment on osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods. MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, AMED, CNKI, and five Korean databases were searched by predefined search strategies to screen eligible randomized controlled studies meeting established criteria. Any risk of bias in the included studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan version 5.3 software. Results. Thirty-one randomized controlled studies of 3,187 participants were included in this systematic review. Meta-analysis was conducted with eight studies including a total of 1,220 participants. The electroacupuncture treatment group showed more significant improvement in pain due to knee osteoarthritis than the control group (SMD −1.86, 95% CI −2.33 to −1.39, I 2 75%) and in total WOMAC score than the control group (SMD −1.34, CI 95% −1.85 to −0.83, I 2 73%). Compared to the control group, the electroacupuncture treatment group showed more significant improvement on the quality of life scale. Conclusion. Electroacupuncture treatment can relieve the pain of osteoarthritis of the knees and improve comprehensive aspects of knee osteoarthritis and the quality of life of patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Online Source: Pubmed National Library of Medicine