Effects of Acupuncture on Neuropathic Pain Induced by Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kelin He; Rong Hu; Yi Huang; Bei Qiu; Qinqin Chen; Ruijie Ma

doi:10.1155/2022/6297484

Effects of Acupuncture on Neuropathic Pain Induced by Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Aug 19:2022:6297484. doi: 10.1155/2022/6297484. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Kelin He^{1

2}, Rong Hu^{1

2}, Yi Huang^{1

2}, Bei Qiu², Qinqin Chen², Ruijie Ma^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, The Third School of Clinical Medicine (School of Rehabilitation Medicine), Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Neuropathic pain is a commonly seen symptom and one of the most intractable comorbidities following spinal cord injury (SCI). Acupuncture has been widely used for neuropathic pain after SCI in clinical settings. There is no systematic review or meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of SCI-induced neuropathic pain. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on SCI-induced neuropathic pain.

Methods: Seven databases were comprehensively searched, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed), the Wanfang Database, and the Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP) from their inception to 30 September 2021. Two independent reviewers evaluated the eligibility of the data retrieved based on the pre-established eligibility criteria and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The outcome indexes in this study included the visual analogue scale, the numeric rating scale, the present pain intensity, and the pain region index. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also performed to specifically evaluate the intervention effects. In addition, publication bias was analyzed.

Results: Six randomized controlled trials (145 participants in the experimental groups and 141 participants in the control groups) were identified that evaluated the application of acupuncture for neuropathic pain after SCI and were included in this study. The results of our study revealed that acupuncture had a positive effect on the pain severity (standardized mean difference (SMD): -1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.23; -0.57), the present pain intensity (MD = -0.61, 95% CIs = -0.98; -0.23), and the pain region index (MD = -3.04, 95% CI = -3.98; -2.11). In addition, sensitivity analyses showed that these results were robust and stable. Subgroup analyses indicated that electroacupuncture (EA) had better effects on SCI-induced neuropathic pain. However, a publication bias was observed.

Conclusion: Available evidence appears to suggest that acupuncture may have a role in SCI-induced neuropathic pain management, but this remains to be determined.

Publication types

Review