Trial reportTrials2015
Acupuncture for the sequelae of Bell's palsy: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Trials, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of the efficacy of acupuncture with tuina with acupuncture-only in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis: a network meta-analysis.Internal and emergency medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Facial taping as biofeedback to improve the outcomes of physical rehab in Bell's palsy: preliminary results of a randomized case-control study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2021Trial
- Article
- Short-term clinical outcomes associated with a standardized multicomponent facial rehabilitation program in acute or early-subacute peripheral facial nerve palsy: a prospective controlled cohort study.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- The potential of systemic immune-inflammation index in predicting outcomes of facial palsy in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome treated by acupuncture.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Investigating the Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Exploring the Feasibility of Infrared Thermography as an Efficacy Assessment Tool: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial [Response to Letter].Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Efficacy of Laser Therapy on Paralysis and Disability in Patients with Facial Palsy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Global Trends and Performances of Acupuncture Therapy on Bell's Palsy from 2000 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2023Review
- Is There a Difference in Facial Emotion Recognition after Stroke with vs. without Central Facial Paresis?Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Distribution of Medical Service Use for Facial Palsy Between Medicine and Traditional Korean Medicine Based on Population-Based Data of Korea.Journal of Korean medical science · 2022Article
- Analysis of medical services provided to patients with peripheral facial palsy in Korea: a descriptive, cross-sectional study of the health insurance review and assessment service national patient sample database.BMC health services research · 2021Observational
- Article
- Effects of Laser Acupuncture Therapy for Patients With Inadequate Recovery From Bell's Palsy: Preliminary Results From Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Article
- Article
- Functional Connectivity Modulation by Acupuncture in Patients with Bell's Palsy.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIncomplete recovery from facial palsy results in social and physical disabilities, and the medical options for the sequelae of Bell's palsy are limited. Acupuncture is widely used for Bell's palsy patients in East Asia, but its efficacy is unclear.
methodsWe performed a randomized controlled trial including participants with the sequelae of Bell's palsy with the following two parallel arms: an acupuncture group (n = 26) and a waiting list group (n = 13). The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments for 8 weeks, whereas the waiting list group did not receive acupuncture treatments during the 8-week period after randomization. The primary outcome measure was change in the Facial Disability Index (FDI) social and well-being subscale at week 8. We also analyzed changes in the FDI physical function subscale, the House-Brackmann score, the Sunnybrook Facial Nerve Grading system, lip mobility and stiffness at 5 and 8 weeks after randomization. An intention-to-treat analysis was applied.
resultsThe acupuncture group exhibited greater improvements in the FDI social score (mean difference, 23.54; 95% confidence interval, 12.99 to 34.08) and better results on the FDI physical function subscale (mean difference, 21.54; 95% confidence interval, 7.62 to 35.46), Sunnybrook Facial Nerve Grading score (mean difference, 14.77; 95% confidence interval, 5.05 to 24.49), and stiffness scale (mean difference, -1.58; 95% confidence interval,-2.26 to -0.89) compared with the waiting list group after 8 weeks. No severe adverse event occurred in either group.
conclusionCompared with the waiting list group, acupuncture had better therapeutic effects on the social and physical aspects of sequelae of Bell's palsy.
trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN43104115.
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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.