A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for neck pain

To establish whether there is evidence for or against the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neck pain. A systematic literature review was undertaken of studies that compared needle or laser acupuncture with a control procedure for the treatment of neck pain. Two reviewers independently ext...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rheumatology (Oxford, England) England), 1999-02, Vol.38 (2), p.143-147
Main Authors: WHITE, A. R, ERNST, E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupuncture Analgesia - instrumentation
Acupuncture Analgesia - methods
Biological and medical sciences
Humans
Lasers
Medical sciences
Neck Pain - therapy
Needles
Non tumoral diseases
Otorhinolaryngology (head neck, general aspects and miscellaneous)
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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Summary:To establish whether there is evidence for or against the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neck pain. A systematic literature review was undertaken of studies that compared needle or laser acupuncture with a control procedure for the treatment of neck pain. Two reviewers independently extracted data concerning study methods, quality and outcome. Overall, the outcomes of 14 randomized controlled trials were equally balanced between positive and negative. Acupuncture was superior to waiting-list in one study, and either equal or superior to physiotherapy in three studies. Needle acupuncture was not superior to indistinguishable sham control in four out of five studies. Of the eight high-quality trials, five were negative. In conclusion, the hypothesis that acupuncture is efficacious in the treatment of neck pain is not based on the available evidence from sound clinical trials. Further studies are justified.
ISSN:1462-0324
1462-0332
DOI:10.1093/rheumatology/38.2.143