Observational studyPloS one2022
Exploring patient experiences of participating in a real and sham dry cupping intervention for nonspecific low back pain: A qualitative study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 5 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.
Effect of Dry Cupping Therapy Associated With the McKenzie Method in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: Protocol for a Sham-controlled Randomized Trial
The Short-Term Effects of Dry Cupping the Lumbar Paraspinal Muscles in Individuals With Non-specific Low Back Pain: A Single-Blind Randomized Trial
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of fire dragon cupping therapy for patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Trends and hotspots in cupping therapy research for pain: a bibliometric study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Dry cupping therapy combined with conventional therapy does not provide additional benefits over conventional therapy alone in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: a randomized trial.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2025Trial
- Dry cupping therapy has no effect on pain, function, or quality of life in women with knee osteoarthritis: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyTrial
- Telerehabilitation for people with Parkinson's disease: protocol of a randomised clinical trial of mixed methods.BMJ open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe current quality of evidence supporting dry cupping for individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP) is low and suggests that nonspecific factors impact experiences reported by patients. Therefore, this study assessed the impacts of social and professional support on the experience of individuals with CLBP treated with dry cupping or sham.
methodThis is an observational study with qualitative approach. Twenty-four individuals with CLBP who received dry cupping or sham in a previous clinical trial were invited. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview conducted by a trained researcher. Content analysis was used to analyze experiences, systematic procedures, and description of the content of messages. The dimensions of "pain", "general perceptions", and "perceived social and professional support" guided the analysis.
resultsAnswers of both groups converged on similar perceptions, especially regarding pain. Physical condition was the most fragile aspect. We also observed an influence of perceived social and professional support on painful symptoms. Thus, the experience of individuals with CLBP treated with dry cupping or sham indicated that factors related to social and professional support impacted results.
conclusionsWe observed that individuals with CLBP reported similar perceptions of the effects of dry cupping or sham treatment, indicating that contextual factors may influence the perception of these individuals regarding the treatment received.
Indexed as
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.