Electroacupuncture for the treatment of frozen shoulder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundElectroacupuncture (EA) has reportedly been successful in controlling pain, but there have been no systematic reviews examining the impact of EA on patients with frozen shoulder (FS). The purpose of this review is to provide evidence on the safety and efficacy of EA for pain management in patients with FS.MethodsWe searched 11 databases from their inception: EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, AMED, one Chinese medical database, and six Korean medical databases. Two researchers independently performed the study selection, data extraction, and assessment. Bias-related risk was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool.ResultsThis review included thirteen studies involving 936 patients. The EA group exhibited improvements in FS pain (MD −1.11, 95% CI −1.61 to −0.61, p < 0.0001, I2 = 97%), function (SMD 2.02, 95% CI 0.36–3.69, p < 0.00001, I2 = 97%), and response rates (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.07–1.25; p = 0.0002; I2 = 0%) over the manual acupuncture (MA) group. As an adjunct treatment, EA improved FS pain (SMD −1.12, 95% CI −1.52 to −0.71, P < 0.00001, I2 = 0) compared to the control treatments. No adverse effects were reported.ConclusionEA is reported to improve FS pain and function compared with control treatments. Additionally, EA can be used as an adjunct therapy for FS pain. EA could emerge as a potent intervention against FS.Systematic review registration[http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021247090], identifier [CRD42021247090]

Manual acupuncture for neuromusculoskeletal disorders: The selection of stimulation parameters and corresponding effects

“…In contrast, electroacupuncture (EA) has received increasing attention from acupuncturists due to its four clear, quantified and easily controlled stimulation parameters (waveform, frequency, time, and current intensity) ( Omura, 1987 ; Baba et al, 2002 ), and there are more RCTs comparing the effects of different stimulation parameters of EA ( Liu et al, 2017 ; Zheng et al, 2018 ). For example, there are correlations between different frequencies ( Humaidan et al, 2006 ; Yang et al, 2020 ; Yao S. et al, 2020 ), current intensities ( Tamai et al, 2020 ), stimulation time ( Heo et al, 2022 ) and different therapeutic effects, so dose-effect relationship studies of EA provide rich evidence and references for its clinical application. This paper reviewed the different stimulation parameters related to the effect of MA intervention, their common options and values, corresponding effects and potential mechanisms of action.…”