ArticleJournal of pain research2019
Acupuncture therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Article in Journal of pain research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 8 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brazilian Society of Rheumatology's fibromyalgia treatment guidelines - part I: monitoring and non-pharmacological management.Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2026Guideline
- Acupuncture for fibromyalgia syndrome: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Duloxetine for fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2023Pooled it
- Use of Acupuncture for Adult Health Conditions, 2013 to 2021: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy of Dry Needling and Acupuncture in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Association of Therapies With Reduced Pain and Improved Quality of Life in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA internal medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Acupuncture for the Relief of Chronic Pain: A Synthesis of Systematic Reviews.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Pooled it
- Acupuncture for perioperative care of total hip arthroplasty: A systemic review of controlled trials and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Comparing the Efficacy of Acupressure and Foot Reflexology on Sleep Quality in Patients With Leukemia: A Comparative Clinical Trial.Integrative cancer therapiesTrial
- Efficacy of Acupuncture in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Evolving Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Fibromyalgia: A Moving Target.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Cochrane reviews of acupuncture are dated, do not account for the specific effects of sham controls and likely underestimate the efficacy of acupuncture therapy.Integrative medicine research · 2025Review
- Fibromyalgia: do I tackle you with complementary medicines?Pain reports · 2025Review
- Electroacupuncture Reduced Fibromyalgia-Pain-like Behavior through Inactivating Transient Receptor Potential V1 and Interleukin-17 in Intermittent Cold Stress Mice Model.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Effect of Steroids on Patients With Fibromyalgia/Chromic Widespread Pain: An Observational Study.Cureus · 2024Article
- Insurance coverage by indication for acupuncturist visits in the 2010-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2024Article
- Effects of acupuncture versus placebo on clinical status and potential specific effects in Fibromyalgia: an umbrella review of 11 meta-analyses.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2024Article
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Treat Fibromyalgia Symptoms. A Systematic Review.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- Beyond the Pain: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Latest Advancements in Fibromyalgia Treatment.Cureus · 2023Review
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 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeFibromyalgia (FM) can cause chronic widespread pain and seriously affect the quality of patient lives. Acupuncture therapy is widely used for pain management. However, the effect of acupuncture on FM is still uncertain. The aim of this review was to determine the effect and safety of acupuncture therapy on the pain intensity and quality of life in patients with FM. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for FM published before May 2018. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.3 software, and GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence.
resultsWe identified 12 RCTs that compared acupuncture therapy to sham acupuncture or conventional medication. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was significantly better than sham acupuncture for relieving pain (MD =-1.04, 95% CI [-1.70, -0.38],
conclusionAcupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment for patients with FM, and this treatment can be recommended for the management of FM.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.