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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a prevalent and distressing condition with the decline of functional disability and mental health for patients. To avoid the side effects of conventional therapies for CMP (e.g., cardiovascular risks in drug treatments and postoperative pain conditions in surgical interventions), cupping therapy, one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicines, has been widely used to reduce CMP. But the evidence remains controversial on the effect of cupping therapy on CMP. The objective of this review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of cupping therapy on clinical outcomes (i.e., pain intensity, functional disability and mental health) in CMP patients.

Methods: The protocol of this meta-analysis was registered at PROSPERO before starting the data extraction (registration number: CRD42023406219). Studies were identified by a comprehensive search of databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library, up to August 2023. A total of 34 data points from 10 randomized control trials (RCT) were included in this meta-analysis.

Results: The results showed that cupping therapy (SMD = -1.23; 95% CI = -2.02 to -0.44; P = 0.002; I2 = 95%) had a significant reduction effect on CMP patients’ pain intensity. But cupping therapy had non-significant improvement effects on functional disability (SMD = -0.58; 95% CI = -1.34 to 0.17; P = 0.13; I2 = 76%) and mental health (SMD = -0.21; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.38; P = 0.48; I2 = 63%). Although the difference was not significant, based on the SMD, wet cupping therapy had a better trend on reducing pain intensity (wet cupping therapy: SMD = -1.47, 95% CI = -2.39 to -0.55 VS dry cupping therapy: SMD = -1.20, 95% CI = -2.12 to -0.29; P = 0.69).

Conclusions: This review and meta-analysis indicated that cupping therapy is efficient in alleviating pain intensity in CMP patients. But it can’t improve functional disability and mental health significantly. Among different cupping therapy types, wet cupping therapy seems to be more helpful for individuals with CMP to decline pain intensity.

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