SynthesisBMJ open2018
Is cupping therapy effective in patients with neck pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 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.
Vacuum Myofascial Therapy Device and Physical Activity for the Treatment of Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain. A Single Blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Percutaneous Electrolysis and Vacuum Myofascial Therapy Device in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylalgia: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.
Effectiveness of Graston and Cupping Applications in Individuals With Cervical Disc Herniation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of Cupping Therapy in Managing Neck Pain and Improving Cervical Mobility in Cervical Spondylosis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Durable Effect of Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of cupping therapy on pain outcomes: an evidence-mapping study.Frontiers in neurology · 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
- The effect of wet cupping therapy on the clinical symptoms of adult-onset asthma: a randomized clinical trial.Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2024Trial
- Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine for Self-Care in Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain: A Scoping Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- 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
- Article
- Effect of myofascial cupping vs integrated neuromuscular inhibition techniques on pain and neck movement in individuals with latent trigger point in trapezius.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao · 2023Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Traditional and Complimentary Medicine in Oman.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of Negative Pulsed-Pressure Myofascial Vacuum Therapy and Therapeutic Exercise in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Evidence Map of Cupping Therapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Cupping Therapy for Migraine: A PRISMA-Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
- Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement.Chinese medicine · 2020Article
- Effect of Pressures and Durations of Cupping Therapy on Skin Blood Flow Responses.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 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
- Effect of wet cupping on reducing bone pain for patients in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective study.Saudi medical journal · 2019Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding the use of Traditional and Complementary Medical Practices by Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease in Oman.Nigerian medical journal : journal of the Nigeria Medical AssociationArticle
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 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesNeck pain is a significant condition that is second only to depression as a cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Thus, identifying and understanding effective treatment modalities for neck pain is of heightened importance. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of cupping on neck pain from the current literature.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
settingNine databases, including Chinese, Korean and Japanese databases, were searched for data up to January 2018 with no restrictions on publication language.
participantsPatients with neck pain.
interventionsCupping therapy as the sole or add-on intervention compared with no treatment or active controls. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain severity, functional disability and quality of life.
resultsEighteen RCTs were selected. Compared with the no intervention group, the cupping group exhibited significant reduction in pain (mean difference (MD) -2.42(95% CI -3.98 to -0.86)) and improvement in function (MD -4.34(95% CI -6.77 to -1.19)). Compared with the active control, the cupping group reported significant reduction in pain (p=0.0009) and significantly improved quality of life (p=0.001). The group that received control treatment with cupping therapy (add-on group) displayed significant pain reduction compared with the active control group (p=0.001). Of the 18 studies, only 8 reported occurrence of adverse events, which were mostly mild and temporary.
conclusionsCupping was found to reduce neck pain in patients compared with no intervention or active control groups, or as an add-on treatment. Depending on the type of control group, cupping was also associated with significant improvement in terms of function and quality of life; however, due to the low quality of evidence of the included studies, definitive conclusions could not be drawn from this review. Future well-designed studies are needed to substantiate the effectiveness of cupping on neck pain. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016047218.
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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.