Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42175481›Full record

Trial reportMedicine2026

The effects of electroacupuncture and the Otago Exercise Program in older adults with sarcopenia: A randomized controlled study.

Wenzhe Wu, Yanfei Cao, Yiting Zhang, Jinkuo Pang, Hantong Hu, Hong Gao

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Wenzhe WuThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1861-1275
Yanfei Cao
Yiting Zhang
Jinkuo Pang
Hantong Hu
Hong Gao

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a combination of electroacupuncture (EA) and the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) for sarcopenia in older individuals and provide treatment recommendations for this patient population.

methodsIn this assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial, 120 older patients with sarcopenia were randomly divided into an OEP group (n = 58) and an EA + OEP group (n = 62). The OEP group received OEP 5 times/week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a duration of 12 weeks. In addition to OEP treatment, the EA + OEP group was treated with EA at ST31, ST32, GB34 and ST36 for 30 minutes 3 times/week for 12 weeks. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass-height index (ASM/H2) was the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes included grip strength, 4-m gait speed and 6-min walk distance. Outcomes were measured before initiation and at 6 and 12 weeks after initiation.

resultsSignificant differences in ASM/H2, grip strength, 4-m gait speed and 6-min walk distance were detected between the 2 groups at week 12, whereas no differences were detected at weeks 0 and 6. In the EA + OEP group, as the treatment time increased, ASM/H2, grip strength, 4-m gait speed and 6-min walk distance increased significantly. In the OEP group, as the treatment time increased, no significant difference was found in ASM/H2, whereas grip strength, 4-m gait speed and 6-min walk distance increased significantly (P < .05).

conclusionIn older patients with sarcopenia, EA + OEP was associated with increased skeletal muscle mass, but no such effect was found for OEP alone. Moreover, EA + OEP was superior to OEP alone in terms of improving muscle strength and walking ability. EA + OEP may be considered an effective treatment for sarcopenia in older adults.

Indexed as

ElectroacupunctureExercise TherapySarcopeniaAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHand StrengthHumansMaleMuscle, SkeletalTreatment Outcomeelectroacupunctureolder adultssarcopenia

Identifiers

PMID42175481
PMCPMC13200971

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.