Acupuncture appears to provide sustained relief of chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms, including pain, urinary difficulties, and quality of life.
Researchers systematically searched major medical databases for studies evaluating acupuncture in people with chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome that included long-term follow-up. They pooled findings from randomized controlled trials and case series using a random-effects meta-analysis, assessing symptom response and changes in overall symptoms, pain, urinary symptoms, and quality of life.
Across the included studies, acupuncture was associated with lasting symptom improvement for many participants, with reductions in overall symptom burden and improvements across pain, urinary, and quality-of-life measures. However, outcomes varied substantially between studies, and the available evidence was limited by differences in study results and designs.
