ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2020
Effects of Acupuncture on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 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, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Western medical acupuncture techniques for pain management in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Use of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sports-Related Injuries in Athletes: A Systematic Review of Case Reports.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Short-Term Effects of Low-Fat Chocolate Milk on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and Performance in Players on a Women's University Badminton Team.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Effect of Nitrate Supplementation on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Indices: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Cross-Over Clinical Trial.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2026Article
- Physical Therapies for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Protocol for an Umbrella and Mapping Systematic Review with Meta-Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Western Medical Acupuncture Perception and Use for Pain Management Among Athletes: A Systematic Review.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Transporting Hydrogel via Chinese Acupuncture Needles for Lesion Positioning Therapy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2022Article
- Similarities between Ashi acupoints and myofascial trigger points: Exploring the relationship between body surface treatment points.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesEvidence for the effects of acupuncture on delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of acupuncture on DOMS.
methodsStudies investigating the effect of acupuncture on DOMS in humans that were published before March 2020 were obtained from eight electronic databases. The affected muscles, groups, acupuncture points, treatment sessions, assessments, assessment times, and outcomes of the included articles were reviewed. The data were extracted and analyzed via a meta-analysis.
resultsA total of 15 articles were included, and relief of DOMS-related pain was the primary outcome. The statistical meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences between acupuncture and sham/control groups, except for acupuncture for DOMS on day 1 (total SMD = -0.62; 95% CI = -1.12∼0.11,
conclusionAcupuncture for DOMS exhibited very-small-to-small and small-to-moderate effects on pain relief for the sham and no acupuncture conditions, respectively. Evidence indicating the effects of acupuncture on DOMS was little because the outcome data during the follow-up were insufficient to perform an effective meta-analysis.
Identifiers
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.