Trial reportChiropractic & manual therapies2025
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.
Trial report in Chiropractic & manual therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeChronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) is a complex and heterogeneous condition, and it is necessary to explore new treatment approaches. We evaluated whether the addition of dry cupping therapy to guideline‑based conventional therapy would further improve clinical outcomes in CNLBP.
methodsThirty-six patients with CNLBP were recruitedand randomly divided into two groups: the control group and the intervention group. The intervention group received cupping therapy in addition to the control group (core stabilization exercises, spinal manipulation and education) for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity. Secondary outcomes were the Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), and pressure pain thresholds (PPT) at bilateral Shenshu (BL23), Qihaishu (BL24), and Dachangshu (BL25) acupuncture points.
resultsAt week 4 the between‑group difference in resting pain was trivial (median difference 0.0 cm, 95% CI - 1.0 to 1.0). Neither clinically important nor statistically significant differences were detected in disability or PPTs. Both groups improved substantially from baseline.
conclusionIn this randomized trial, adding dry cupping to conventional therapy offered no additional benefit over conventional therapy alone for pain, disability or PPT in CNLBP. Larger, multicentre trials with longer follow‑up and standardized negative pressures are warranted.
trial registrationChiCTR2300069398, http://www.chictr.org.cn , Registration Date: March 15, 2023.
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