ArticleTherapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease2024
Effects of acupuncture versus placebo on clinical status and potential specific effects in Fibromyalgia: an umbrella review of 11 meta-analyses.
Article in Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evolving Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Fibromyalgia: A Moving Target.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Exosomal Adiponectin Plays a Role in Electroacupuncture Analgesia by Activating the Adiponectin Receptor 1 to Inhibit Pain-Related Pathways in Mice Brain.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Acupuncture in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
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
Background: The use of acupuncture is related to patients' expectations, and the therapeutic interaction effect remains a topic of debate in the literature. Accordingly, it is still unclear whether acupuncture can generate positive clinical effects in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Objective: To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture versus placebo for clinical outcomes and determine the overall effect not attributed to specific effects in patients with FM. Design: Umbrella review of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses. Data sources and methods: An electronic search was performed in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, CENTRAL, EMBASE, LILACS, CINAHL, PEDro, and SPORTDiscus databases from inception until December 2023. We selected studies with a clinical diagnosis of FM and that analyzed the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with a placebo. Pain intensity, functional status, fatigue, sleep quality, and depression symptoms were assessed. Effect sizes were calculated as the mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference (SMD). The quality of intervention reporting was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Results: Eleven SRs with 8399 participants were included. Compared with placebo, acupuncture was associated with reductions in pain intensity (MD = -1.13 cm, 95% CI -2.09 to -0.17, Conclusion: Acupuncture showed a statistically significant difference in decreased pain intensity and fatigue in women with FM. However, the certainty of evidence was low to very low; its effects are not clinically important, and more than 50% of the overall treatment effects were not attributed to the specific effects of acupuncture. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023487315.
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