Evaluation of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Raissi GR, Forogh B, Ahadi T, Ghahramanpoori S, Ghaboussi P, Sajadi S · Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies · 2017 October
DOI 10.1016/j.jams.2017.08.004
Objective
The aim of this study was to examine the additive effect of medical acupuncture on controlling the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS).
Conclusions
Based on the findings of the present study, acupuncture plus a low dose of gabapentin (300 mg/d) is clinically useful in the treatment of restless legs syndrome during 8 weeks follow up, and also has an additive therapeutic effect over gabapentin alone in patients with restless legs syndrome.
Critical Appraisal
Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.
This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.
Learn more about Critical Appraisal
Insights
The combination of acupuncture and a low dose of gabapentin (300 mg/d) is clinically effective in treating restless legs syndrome and has an additional therapeutic benefit compared to gabapentin alone.
The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of medical acupuncture as an additional treatment to gabapentin for controlling restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms. Forty-six RLS patients were randomly assigned to either receive 10 sessions of acupuncture plus gabapentin or gabapentin alone over four weeks, with their symptoms assessed before, immediately after, and eight weeks after treatment. Results showed that the experimental group had significantly better improvements in VAS, IRLSRS, and PSQI compared to the control group. After the treatment, both groups had significant improvements in VAS and IRLSRS, while only the experimental group had a significant improvement in PSQI.
