Journal of Pain Research (Jul 2023)
Acupuncture Methods for Piriformis Syndrome: A Protocol for Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Yujun He,1 Furui Miao,1 Yushan Fan,1 Fangzhi Zhang,1 Pu Yang,2 Xinyi Zhao,3 Miaodong Wang,2 Cai He,1 Jiujie He1 1Faculty of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tui Na of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530001, People’s Republic of China; 2Graduate School of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530200, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530200, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Furui Miao; Yushan Fan, Faculty of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tui Na, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 179 Mingxiu East Road, Xi Xiang Tang District, Nanning, Guangxi, 530001, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Piriformis syndrome (PS) is a common disease that is difficult to clinically treat, which seriously affects people’s health and living quality. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that acupuncture therapy is an effective treatment for PS, but the optimal method of various acupuncture methods has remained unknown. The aim of this study protocol is to compare the efficacy and the safety of different acupuncture methods for PS.Methods: We will search seven electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chongqing VIP Database) from inception to June 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be selected for assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy on PS. Primary outcome measure for this study is pain intensity, and the secondary outcomes are clinical symptoms and signs, physical activity, effective rate, and adverse events. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment will be independently completed by at least two reviewers. Then, standard pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis will be conducted using Revman 5.3, Stata V.15.1 and OpenBUGS V.3.2.3. The heterogeneity will be explored by subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis, if applicable. Finally, Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) pro system will be used to evaluate the quality of evidence.Results: Our systematic review and network meta-analysis will identify the best acupuncture treatment method for PS patients.Conclusion: The results of our review will help decision-makers make educated choices regarding evidence-based acupuncture management options for PS.Prospero Registration Number: No. CRD42022335028.Keywords: piriformis syndrome, systematic review, network meta-analysis, protocol
