Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Zhou Y, Guo Y, Zhou R, Wu P, Liang F, Yang Z · Pain Research and Management · 2020 March 21
DOI 10.1155/2020/8506591
Objective
This study aimed at assessing the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (LE).
Conclusions
The systematic review and meta analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that acupuncture therapy is more effective than drugs and blocking therapy in improving the clinical efficacy rate.
Critical Appraisal
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Insights
Acupuncture appears to be superior to drug or blocking therapy or sham acupuncture therapy for lateral epicondylitis.
In conclusion, despite the limitations of the methodology, the results of this meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture therapy might be more effective than drugs and blocking therapy in improving the clinical efficacy rate and decreasing the VAS score. Well-designed RCTs with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up on these topics are still needed to supply reliable evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture for treating lateral epicondylitis.
