ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2017
Clinical Effects of Laser Acupuncture plus Chinese Cupping on the Pain and Plasma Cortisol Levels in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Lower Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 5 of them syntheses 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of laser acupuncture for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Visual analysis of research hotspots and trends of external therapies in traditional Chinese medicine for chronic pain.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Placebo Response among Different Types of Sham Acupuncture for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2023Pooled 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
- Immediate effects of traditional and laser acupuncture in chronic non-specific neck pain: a randomized controlled clinical trial.Lasers in medical science · 2024Trial
- Development and validation of a clinical prediction model for acupuncture response in community-dwelling patients with chronic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Article
- Transcriptome profiling of microRNAs reveals potential mechanisms of manual therapy alleviating neuropathic pain through microRNA-547-3p-mediated Map4k4/NF-κb signaling pathway.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2022Article
- Effects of ear acupuncture combined with cupping therapy on severity and threshold of chronic back pain and physical disability: A randomized clinical trial.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2022Article
- Imaging Study on Acupuncture Inhibiting Inflammation and Bone Destruction in Knee Osteoarthritis Induced by Monosodium Iodoacetate in Rat Model.Journal of pain research · 2022Article
- The Effectiveness of Laser Acupuncture for Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.Journal of pain research · 2021Article
- Article
- Effects of Laser Acupuncture on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness of the Biceps Brachii Muscle: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesChronic nonspecific lower back pain (LBP) is a common disease. Insufficient data is currently available to conclusively confirm the analgesic effects of laser acupuncture on LBP. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping in LBP treatment.
methodsPatients with chronic nonspecific LBP were enrolled for a randomized controlled trial and assigned to the laser acupuncture group (laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping) and control group (sham laser plus Chinese cupping). Laser acupuncture (808 nm; 40 mW; 20 Hz; 15 J/cm
resultsAfter the treatment session, the plasma cortisol levels and VAS scores decreased significantly in both groups. In the laser acupuncture group, the VAS scores decreased significantly on days 4 and 5, and an enhanced reduction in VAS scores was observed.
conclusionLaser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping at the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints effectively reduced pain and inflammation in chronic nonspecific LBP. This therapy could be a suitable option for LBP treatment in clinical settings.
Identifiers
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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.