SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020
The effects of acupuncture on occipital neuralgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of acupuncture in the treatment of occipital neuralgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Use of Acupuncture for Adult Health Conditions, 2013 to 2021: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Approaches to Occipital Neuralgia Treatment: A Systematic Review and Case Examples.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Cluster Headache in Children: Current Status, Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges and Future.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- Effective Acupuncture in Treating Decade-Long Occipital Neuralgia in an Elderly Patient.The American journal of case reports · 2024Article
- Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias and Neuralgias in Children and Adolescents: a Narrative Review.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2023Review
- Potential mechanisms of acupuncture for neuropathic pain based on somatosensory system.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Review
- Occipital Neuralgia.Current pain and headache reports · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccipital neuralgia is one of the main causes of occipital pain. This systematic review aims to assess the level of evidence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of acupuncture on occipital neuralgia.
methodsWe searched 11 databases and a journal archive from their inception up to December 2019 for relevant RCTs. We did not place any specific restrictions on patients diagnosed with occipital neuralgia, such as age or gender. We included studies that used an acupuncture intervention group, with or without the control group treatment, and that set a control group receiving active, interventional treatment such as medication. For outcomes, we used visual analogue scale (VAS) and effective rate.
resultsWe included a total of 11 RCTs. All VAS scores (mean difference [MD] -2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.84, - 1.86) and effective rate values (odds ratio [OR] 4.96, 95% CI 2.24, 10.96) showed significant differences in effect between acupuncture treatment alone and the control group treatment. Similarly, combined acupuncture treatment with control group treatment also showed significant effects in effective rate (OR 6.68, 95% CI 1.11, 40.37). We performed a subgroup analysis on studies that used acupuncture only as the intervention and reported the effective rate, and found that all acupuncture subgroups showed significant effects compared to the control group treatments. None of the studies reported severe adverse effects.
conclusionsAlthough acupuncture only and combined acupuncture treatments showed significant effects compared to medication, the results of this study are inconclusive. Studies with rigorous study design and larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the role of acupuncture in this field.
trial registrationInternational prospective register for systematic review (PROSPERO) number CRD42019128050.
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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.