Cupping therapy and chronic back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis
Moura, C. C., Chaves, É., Cardoso, A., Nogueira, D. A., Corrêa, H. P., & Chianca, T. · Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem · 2018 September
DOI 10.1590/1518-8345.2888.3094
Objective
To evaluate the evidence from the literature regarding the effects of cupping therapy on chronic back pain in adults, the most used outcomes to evaluate this condition, the protocol used to apply the intervention and to investigate the effectiveness of cupping therapy on the intensity of chronic back pain.
Conclusions
This review showed that cupping therapy is a promising method for the treatment of chronic back pain in adults
Critical Appraisal
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Insights
Cupping therapy has demonstrated notable effects in reducing chronic back pain in adults.
The systematic review and meta-analysis involved two independent researchers who examined national and international databases. They also explored the reference lists of additional systematic reviews. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Jadad scale, a globally recognized tool assessing the methodological quality of clinical trials.
Extracting 16 studies for qualitative review and 10 for quantitative analysis, the research found positive impacts of cupping therapy on chronic back pain in adults. It was noted that there isn't a standardized protocol for treatment with this therapy. The study mainly evaluated outcomes based on factors such as pain intensity, physical incapacity, the quality of life, and the nociceptive threshold before the application of mechanical stimulus. A noteworthy reduction in pain intensity was seen through the use of cupping therapy.
