Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2012
Pulsatile dry cupping in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee - a randomized controlled exploratory trial.
Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01057043 (Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial on Pulsatile Cupping in Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee.), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial on Pulsatile Cupping in Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 113 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of cupping therapy on chronic musculoskeletal pain and collateral problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Update evidence of effectiveness on pain relieving of cupping therapy: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of self-management of dry and wet cupping therapy for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Cupping therapy and chronic back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2018Pooled it
- Mindful Walking in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2022Trial
- Pulsatile dry cupping in chronic low back pain - a randomized three-armed controlled clinical trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2018Trial
- Dry cupping therapy has no effect on pain, function, or quality of life in women with knee osteoarthritis: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyTrial
- [Concept for integrative pain treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee based on the evidence for conservative and complementary therapies].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Review
- An Update on Physical Therapy Adjuncts in Orthopedics.Arthroplasty today · 2022Article
- Cupping (Hijama) in Rheumatic Diseases: The Evidence.Mediterranean journal of rheumatology · 2021Review
- Evidence Map of Cupping Therapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Effects of moving cupping therapy for plaque psoriasis: study protocol for a randomized multicenter clinical trial.Trials · 2020Article
- Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement.Chinese medicine · 2020Article
- The Evidence for Common Nonsurgical Modalities in Sports Medicine, Part 2: Cupping and Blood Flow Restriction.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2020Review
- Effects of Pulsatile Cupping on Body Pain and Quality of Life in People with Suboptimal Health:A Randomized Controlled Exploratory Trial.Medical acupuncture · 2018Article
- Dry cupping for plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy science · 2017Article
- The effect of wet cupping on quality of life of adult patients with chronic medical conditions in King Abdulaziz University Hospital.Saudi medical journal · 2017Article
- Cupping therapy: A prudent remedy for a plethora of medical ailments.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2015Review
- Chinese herbal prescriptions for osteoarthritis in Taiwan: analysis of National Health Insurance dataset.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionCupping is used in various traditional medicine forms to relieve pain in musculoskeletal diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cupping in relieving the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA).
methodsIn a two-group, randomized controlled exploratory pilot study patients with a clinically and radiological confirmed knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence Grading Scale: 2-4) and a pain intensity > 40 mm on a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) were included. 40 Patients were randomized to either 8 sessions of pulsatile dry cupping within 4 weeks or no intervention (control). Paracetamol was allowed on demand for both groups. Outcomes were the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) score, the pain intensity on a VAS (0 mm = no pain to 100 mm = maximum intensity) and Quality of Life (SF-36) 4 and 12 weeks after randomization. Use of Paracetamol was documented within the 4-week treatment period. Analyses were performed by analysis of covariance adjusting for the baseline value for each outcome.
results21 patients were allocated to the cupping group (5 male; mean age 68 ± SD 7.2) and 19 to the control group (8 male; 69 ± 6.8). After 4 weeks the WOMAC global score improved significantly more in the cupping group with a mean of 27.7 (95% confidence interval 22.1; 33.3) compared to 42.2 (36.3; 48.1) in the control group (p = 0.001). After 12 weeks the WOMAC global score were still significantly different in favor for cupping (31.0 (24.9; 37.2) vs. 40.8 (34.4; 47.3) p = 0.032), however the WOMAC subscores for pain and stiffness were not significant anymore. Significantly better outcomes in the cupping group were also observed for pain intensity on VAS and for the SF-36 Physical Component Scale compared to the control group after 4 and 12 weeks. No significant difference was observed for the SF-36 Mental Component Scale and the total number of consumed Paracetamol tablets between both groups (mean 9.1, SD ± 20.0 vs. 11.5 ± 15.9).
conclusionIn this exploratory study dry cupping with a pulsatile cupping device relieved symptoms of knee OA compared to no intervention. Further studies comparing cupping with active treatments are needed.
trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01057043.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.