ArticleBMJ open2022
Is acupuncture effective for knee osteoarthritis? A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of laser acupuncture for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical effect and contributing factors of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and pairwise and exploratory network meta-analysis.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of Acupuncture-Combined Tuina on Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Trial
- The Diagnostic Value of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Knee Osteoarthritis and Its Correlation with Pain Stratification.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2025Article
- Progress in the research of thunder-fire moxibustion and warm acupunct ure-moxibustion combined with western medicine in treating knee osteoarthritis.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Review
- Signal Transduction Pathways Involved in Acupuncture-Mediated Inhibition of Synovitis in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of general medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Clinical effect of acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis and its effect on p38 MAPK signaling pathway.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Evaluating the Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Compared to Physiotherapy in Reducing Pain and Disability in Soldiers Diagnosed with Chondromalacia Patella: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Updates in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2024Article
- Overall Reporting Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Electro-acupuncture modulated miR-214 expression to prevent chondrocyte apoptosis and reduce pain by targeting BAX and TRPV4 in osteoarthritis rats.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2024Article
- Effective Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis Using a Nano-Enabled Drug Acupuncture Technology in Mice.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2023Article
- Is mesenchymal stem cell effective for allergic rhinitis? A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Electroacupuncture ameliorates knee osteoarthritis in rats via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and reducing pyroptosis.Molecular painArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the leading causes of disability. The effectiveness of acupuncture for treating KOA remains controversial. This protocol describes the method of a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for treating KOA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Four English databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library databases and Web of Science) and four Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, and Wanfang) will be searched from the database inception to 1 September 2021. All randomised controlled trials related to acupuncture for KOA will be included. Extracted data will include publication details, basic information, demographic data, intervention details and patient outcomes. The primary outcome will be pain intensity. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Article selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be performed in duplicate by two independent reviewers. If the meta-analysis is precluded, we will conduct a descriptive synthesis using a best-evidence synthesis approach. The strength of recommendations and quality of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation working group methodology. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required because individual patient data are not included. This protocol was registered in the international Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews on 25 February 2021. The systematic review and meta-analysis will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will also be disseminated through conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021232177.
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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.