This study aimed to analyze the status of adverse events (AEs) in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions/ diseases using thread embedding acupuncture (TEA). Five electronic databases were searched to retrieve data on clinical studies published in the last 5 years (2016 to 2021). Of the 151 studies retrieved, 22 studies analyzed AEs and were selected for this review. There were no AEs reported in 6 studies (27.3%); of the remaining 16 studies, 4 studies (18.2%) reported AEs that were not related to TEA. The most common AEs reported in the Chinese studies were redness of skin with/without swelling and tingling sensation, and in the Korean studies they were stiffness, a foreign body sensation, and bruising. The percentage of patients with AE experience was 5.1% in the Chinese studies and 19.9% in the Korean studies. The discrepancies between the findings in the Chinese and Korean studies may be attribute to differences in the diameter of needles, thread materials, TEA treatment procedure, and evaluation methods for AEs. Most of the reported AEs were of a mild status and did not last for a long time. However, further research on the clinical course after TEA treatment is needed.

Background: Electronic moxibustion has the advantage of temperature control and maintenance, and overcomes the limitations of the existing moxibustion process without the use of the combustion process. However, as the application of electronic moxibustion in clinical practice has increased, safety issues are emerging.Methods: Clinical cases of electronic moxibustion treatment for knee osteoarthritis where burns occurred were collected. In addition, adverse events reported in clinical studies using electronic moxibustion for patients with knee osteoarthritis were collected from studies retrieved from Korean and international databases.Results: There were 3 cases of superficial 2nd degree burns retrospectively collected through chart reviews. Among the selected 5 studies for literature review, 2 studies reported adverse events which were burns milder than those reported in these 3 cases in this retrospective case review.Conclusion: Since the risk of superficial 2nd degree burn was discovered in the cases reviewed, further research on safe electronic moxibustion treatment is required without compromising the effectiveness of moxibustion.