Trial reportScientific reports2016
Efficacy of cupping therapy in patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome-a randomised placebo controlled trial.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01635634 (Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 5 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.
Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial: The Effectiveness of Cupping in Patients With Fibromyalgia
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guidelines on Treating Fibromyalgia With Nonpharmacological Therapies in China.Journal of evidence-based medicine · 2025Guideline
- Effects of cupping therapy on chronic musculoskeletal pain and collateral problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of sleep problems in people with fibromyalgia: a multi-methods evidence synthesis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Trends and hotspots in cupping therapy research for pain: a bibliometric study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Are OMERACT recommendations followed in clinical trials on fibromyalgia? A systematic review of patient-reported outcomes and their measures.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2023Pooled it
- Pulsatile dry cupping in chronic low back pain - a randomized three-armed controlled clinical trial.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2018Trial
- The Use of Cupping (Hijama) Therapy Among Athletes and Its Relationship With Sleep Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Palestine.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Impact of wet and dry cupping therapy on endurance, perceived wellness, and exertion in recreational male runners.Sports medicine and health science · 2026Article
- A Prospective Observational Study of a 2-Week Integrative Inpatient Therapy on Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- What are the effects of dry cupping therapy combined with the McKenzie method on clinical outcomes in chronic low back pain? A protocol for a randomized, sham-controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- [Scientific shortcomings in the CME article on complementary medicine in pain therapy].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Article
- [CAM procedures in pain therapy: an evidence-based discourse is needed].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Article
- An Update on Physical Therapy Adjuncts in Orthopedics.Arthroplasty today · 2022Article
- All around suboptimal health - a joint position paper of the Suboptimal Health Study Consortium and European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine.The EPMA journal · 2021Article
- Cupping (Hijama) in Rheumatic Diseases: The Evidence.Mediterranean journal of rheumatology · 2021Review
- Article
- Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Cupping Therapy.Brain sciences · 2020Article
- 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
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study aimed to test the efficacy of cupping therapy to improve symptoms and quality of life in patients diagnosed with the fibromyalgia syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to cupping therapy, sham or usual care. Cupping was administered five times at twice weekly intervals on the upper and lower back. The primary outcome measure was pain intensity at day 18. Secondary outcomes included functional disability, quality of life, fatigue and sleep quality as well as pressure pain sensitivity, satisfaction and safety at day 18 and 6 months. Altogether 141 patients were included in this study (139 females, 55.8 ± 9.1 years). After 18 days patients reported significant less pain after cupping compared to usual care (difference -12.4; 95% CI: -18.9; -5.9, p < 0.001) but not compared to sham (difference -3.0; 95% CI: -9.9, 3.9, p = 0.396). Further effects were found for quality of life compared to usual care. Patients were mildly satisfied with cupping and sham cupping; and only minor side effects were observed. Despite cupping therapy being more effective than usual care to improve pain intensity and quality of life, effects of cupping therapy were small and comparable to those of a sham treatment, and as such cupping cannot be recommended for fibromyalgia at the current time.
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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.