Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33184777›Full record

ReviewAdvances in therapy2021

A Comprehensive Review of Alternative Therapies for the Management of Chronic Pain Patients: Acupuncture, Tai Chi, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, and Chiropractic Care.

Ivan Urits, Ruben H Schwartz, Vwaire Orhurhu, Nishita V Maganty, Brian T Reilly, Parth M Patel, Christopher Wie, Alan D Kaye, Ken F Mancuso, Aaron J Kaye and 1 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Advances in therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
11.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine Utilization Among Korean American Older Adults: A Multilevel Analysis.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Ivan UritsDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ivanurits@gmail.com.
Ruben H SchwartzDepartment of Anesthesiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA.
Vwaire OrhurhuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Nishita V MagantyUniversity of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Brian T ReillyCreighton University School of Medicine, Phoenix Regional Campus, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Parth M PatelUniversity of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Christopher WieDepartment of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Alan D KayeDepartment of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Ken F MancusoDepartment of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Aaron J KayeDepartment of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Omar ViswanathDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans · USHarvard University · USUniversity of Phoenix · USCreighton University · USMayo Clinic Hospital · USMount Sinai Medical Center · USPhoenix (United States) · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionNon-pharmacologic alternative therapies for pain have been around for a long time, some for hundreds of years. They have been used throughout history to treat many issues. RECENT

findingsCurrently, alternative medicine is most frequently used to treat musculoskeletal pain, and between 59 and 90% of patients utilizing alternative therapies for chronic pain claimed they were helpful and can serve as an effective adjunctive for the treatment of chronic pain. Some examples of alternative therapies that will be discussed in this review include acupuncture, tai chi, osteopathic manipulation, and chiropractic care. Acupuncture, traditionally a Chinese practice, is becoming more popular across the world to attempt to relieve pain. It involves the placement of thin needles at various points in the body. The efficacy of acupuncture for pain is heavily debated. More research and discussion are necessary to determine the exact role it plays in the treatment of chronic pain. Tai chi is also a traditional Chinese practice that is often used as a form of meditation and for potential health benefits. Tai chi involves a series of complex movements such as squatting combined with deep breathing to achieve relaxation and pain reduction. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a technique used by both osteopathic physicians (DO) as well as other health professionals to manage a wide range of conditions in any given patient. The technique involves utilization and manipulation of the musculoskeletal system to achieve potential health benefits. OMT has been used as therapy for many issues but is commonly used for pain conditions. Alternative therapies may serve as an effective adjunctive treatment modality for the management of chronic pain conditions. There has been a tremendous amount of research dictating the effectiveness of alternative therapies for chronic pain management. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive evidence-based update of alternative therapy used for the management of chronic pain conditions.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyChiropracticChronic PainComplementary TherapiesOsteopathic MedicineTai JiHumansAcupunctureChiropractorOsteopathic manipulative treatmentPainTai chi

Identifiers

PMID33184777
PMCPMC7854390
OpenAlexW3098325236

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.