ArticleAnnals of Indian Academy of Neurology2025
Effect of Vibration, Electrical Stimulation and Other Non-Pharmacological Interventions on Restless Leg Syndrome Severity and Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Article in Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence of sleep disturbance among chinese college students: an updated meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of local vibration therapy and gabapentin on restless legs syndrome symptoms: a randomized controlled trial.BMC research notes · 2026Trial
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesThis study aims to determine the effect of nonpharmacological treatments, such as vibration, electric stimulation, acupressure, massage therapy, cryotherapy, and exercise, on the restless legs syndrome (RLS) severity score.
methodsPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed for selecting studies to be included in the meta-analysis. The International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) registered this study. Many databases, including Google Scholar, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus, were utilized to locate randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The analysis employed Cochrane's risk of bias tool 2.0 to evaluate the quality of the incorporated RCTs. Standardized mean difference (SMD) figures were employed for all outcomes to assess the impact of every nonpharmacological intervention. The aggregate effect of each was expressed using forest plots. A random-effects model was used for pooling. The heterogeneity of the included studies was evaluated using I2 values. All relevant statistical calculations were carried out using R Studi version 4.3.0.
resultsA total of 17 studies were selected for meta-analysis. There was a significant reduction in RLS severity after vibration/stimulation (SMD -1.09, 95% CI -2.45 to -0.27, P = 0.014), and a non-significant trend for acupressure (SMD -0.87, 95% CI -2.21 to 0.47, P = 0.203), massage therapy (SMD -3.49, 95% CI -10.81 to 3.83, P = 0.350), cryotherapy (SMD -1.27, 95% CI -3.72 to 1.18, P = 0.309), and exercise (SMD -2.05, 95% CI -23.95 to 19.84, P = 0.856). There was an improvement in sleep quality measured using the pooled Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index after the nonpharmacological intervention (SMD: -0.51, 95% CI: -0.73 to -0.28). However, this improvement was not found to be significant ( P = 0.73).
conclusionsThe study demonstrated significant reductions in RLS severity with nonpharmacological interventions, offering viable alternatives to medication. However, the improvement in sleep quality was not statistically significant. Further research is needed to optimize these treatments.
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