Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23263998›Full record

Trial reportChinese journal of integrative medicine2013

Acupuncture for chronic Achilles tendnopathy: a randomized controlled study.

Bi-meng Zhang, Li-wei Zhong, Si-wei Xu, Hui-ru Jiang, Jian Shen

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07360873 (Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07360873 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy

TypeinterventionalSponsorAdnan HashimRan2025 to 2025Enrolled24ConditionsAchilles Tendinopathy (AT)ArmsEccentric Calf Muscle Exercises, Heel Insole Lift
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Effects of Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Cupping, and Massage on Sports Injuries: A Narrative Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Conservative Treatment of Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2019
    Review
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Bi-meng ZhangShanghai First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200080, China, pjzhtiger08@yahoo.com.cn.
Li-wei Zhong
Si-wei Xu
Hui-ru Jiang
Jian Shen
Shanghai First People's Hospital · CNShanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine · CNShuguang Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo examine whether acupuncture treatment would improve outcome in chronic Achilles tendinopathy.

methodsA randomized, controlled trial at two centers of 64 randomized patients aged 18 to 70 years with chronic Achilles tendinopathy was conducted from July 2007 to April 2010, with follow-up until October, 2010. These patients were randomly allocated into an acupuncture treatment group (acupuncture group) and an eccentric exercises group (control group). The validated Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire was completed at baseline and 8, 16, and 24 weeks. The pain at rest and after activity was accessed at baseline and 8 weeks with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

resultsAfter randomization into the acupuncture group or control group, one patient was loss of follow-up. The mean VISA-A score improved signifificantly after 8 weeks in the acupuncture group to 67.1 points [95% confifidence interval (CI), 64.1-70.2] and in the control group to 48.5 points (95% CI, 45.5-51.6) with an additional 18.6 points increase in acupuncture treatment patients (P=0.0000). Acupuncture treatment resulted in a significant increase from baseline in VISA-A of 25.8 after 16 weeks and 28.4 after 24 weeks. Whereas, in the control group the increase from baseline in VISA-A were 10.0 and 16.6 after 16 and 24 weeks, respectively (P=0.0000). The VAS diminished by 2.0 cm after activity, and by 1.5 cm at rest after 8 weeks in the control group. In the acupuncture group, the pain scores diminished significantly more than in the control group, with pain reduction of 3.7 cm after activity (P=0.0000) and 3.2 cm at rest (P =0.0000).

conclusionAcupuncture intervention could improve pain and activity in patients with chronic Achilles tendinopathy compared with eccentric exercises.

Indexed as

AcupunctureAchilles TendonChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTendinopathyTreatment OutcomeVisual Analog Scale

Identifiers

PMID23263998
OpenAlexW2323531892

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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.