ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
Distal Acupoints Outperform Proximal Acupoints in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture in sham-controlled trials for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Laser acupuncture improves cortical excitability and behavioural performance in healthy individuals: a randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Trial
- Manual Acupuncture at LI11, Local Points and Both for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2023Trial
- AI-Assisted Knee Infrared Imaging Based Acupuncture for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Study Protocol.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Article
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 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine the difference in efficacy between distal and proximal acupoints in treating knee osteoarthritis.
designNinety-two eligible participants were randomly assigned into three groups: distal acupoint treatment group (DG), proximal acupoint treatment group (PG), and sham acupuncture control group (SG). Primary and secondary outcomes were compared before and after the intervention.
resultsThe three groups had significant pain reduction after acupuncture (
conclusionsDistal acupoints provide better pain relief and improve ROM than proximal acupoints in treating knee osteoarthritis. Significant changes in spectral energy were observed in the left
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.