Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Therapy for Patients with Acute Ankle Sprain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

backgroundThe efficacy of acupuncture for acute ankle sprain (AAS) is controversial. This study aimed to critically assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for AAS.

methodsParallel-group randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included regardless of language or publication date. Participants with AAS were included regardless of age, sex, race, nationality, or diagnostic criteria for AAS. Experimental interventions included acupuncture alone or in combination with traditional therapies. Control interventions included no treatment, placebo, or traditional therapies. The primary outcome was the Kofoed ankle score. The secondary outcomes included visual analogue scale, duration of pain, use of painkiller, ankle circumference, effective rate, cure rate, and adverse events. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Digital Periodicals, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals database were searched to identify potentially eligible studies from inception to September 10, 2020. World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP), ClinicalTrials.gov, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), and the reference list of eligible RCTs were checked to identify ongoing or unpublished studies. Risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Statistical analyses were performed by RevMan 5.3 software.

resultsSeventeen eligible studies were included for the statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference of Kofoed ankle score between acupuncture and Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE) group (

conclusionsThe findings of the present study suggest that acupuncture may be beneficial for AAS. However, more large-scale and well-designed RCTs are warranted.