ReviewJournal of pain research2026
Dose-Response Relationship Between Acupuncture Parameters and Pain Reduction in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Journal of pain research, 2026. 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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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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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Acupuncture is widely used for chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP), yet the optimal dosing parameters remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the overall efficacy of acupuncture for CNLBP and explored dose-response relationships between acupuncture parameters and pain reduction. Methods: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception to December 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with sham, no-intervention, or active controls. The primary outcome was end-of-treatment pain intensity (VAS/NRS). Effect sizes were expressed as Hedges' g and pooled using a random-effects model (REML, Knapp-Hartung). Dose-response relationships for treatment sessions, duration, and needle retention time were examined by weighted meta-regression with restricted cubic splines (RCS). Results: Twelve randomized controlled trials involving 1,155 participants were included. Acupuncture significantly reduced pain intensity compared with controls (pooled Hedges' g = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.19-0.95), with substantial between-study heterogeneity (I Conclusion: Acupuncture provides moderate pain relief for CNLBP. The observed nonlinear duration signal-including a potential turning range around 6-7 weeks-is preliminary and hypothesis-generating, given the high heterogeneity and sensitivity to the most influential trial. Session number and needle retention time showed no detectable dose-response association within the available evidence. Dedicated dose-finding trials are required.
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