Cupping therapy and chronic back pain: systematic review and
meta-analysis

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ABSTRACT

Objectives:

to evaluate the evidence from the literature regarding the effects of cupping therapy on chronic back pain in adults, the most used outcomes to evaluate this condition, the protocol used to apply the intervention and to investigate the effectiveness of cupping therapy on the intensity of chronic back pain.

Method:

systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by two independent researchers in national and international databases. Reference lists of systematic reviews were also explored. The quality of evidence was assessed according to the Jadad scale.

Results:

611 studies were identified, of which 16 were included in the qualitative analysis and 10 in the quantitative analysis. Cupping therapy has shown positive results on chronic back pain. There is no standardization in the treatment protocol. The main assessed outcomes were pain intensity, physical incapacity, quality of life and nociceptive threshold before the mechanical stimulus. There was a significant reduction in the pain intensity score through the use of cupping therapy (p = 0.001).

Conclusion:

cupping therapy is a promising method for the treatment of chronic back pain in adults. There is the need to establish standardized application protocols for this intervention.

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Meridian studies in China: a systematic review.

Guang-Jun Wang, M. Ayati, Wei-Bo Zhang (2010)

Meridian theory is a major part of Chinese medicine and has guided acupuncture and clinical practice for thousands of years. Meridian theory describes many important concepts about the rules of human body function and regulation, but has comparatively huge differences with the basic concepts of modern medicine. These differences have caused deep concern and attracted attention from scholars, both inside and outside of China. The interest in meridian theory lies in determining the structural nature of meridians. Not only is this information still unclear, it is very difficult to achieve clear results in a short period of time. Despite this, the phenomena of meridians can be used as the entry point for meridian studies. After many years of effort, although the physical structure of meridians has not been found, the existence of the meridian phenomena has been fully confirmed. Although there is a lack of morphological evidence for the existence of the meridian, concluding non-existence may be incorrect as morphology techniques develop and structures previously not determined are being found. Since the phenomenon of meridians exists, some biological basis behind its occurrence must be present. This implies that research on meridians needs to continue as research techniques advance and may eventually reveal the biological basis of the meridian phenomenon. In the present review, we analyze the history of meridian studies in China. Copyright (c) 2010 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute. Published by .. All rights reserved.

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The effectiveness of wet-cupping for nonspecific low back pain in Iran: a randomized controlled trial.

Reza Mohammadi, Morteza Saeb, Khosro Farhadi … (2008)

To determine the efficacy of wet-cupping for treating persistent nonspecific low back pain. Wet-cupping therapy is one of the oldest known medical techniques. It is still used in several contemporary societies. Very minimal empirical study has been conducted on its efficacy. Randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Patients in the experimental group were offered the option of referral to the wet-cupping service; all accepted that option. The control group received usual care. Medical clinic in Kermanshah, Iran. In total, 98 patients aged 17-68 years with nonspecific low back pain; 48 were randomly assigned to experimental group and 50 to the control group. Patients in the experimental group were prescribed a series of three staged wet-cupping treatments, placed at 3 days intervals (i.e., 0, 3, and 6 days). Patients in the control group received usual care from their general practitioner. Three outcomes assessed at baseline and again 3 months following intervention: the McGill Present Pain Index, Oswestry Pain Disability Index, and the Medication Quantification Scale. Wet-cupping care was associated with clinically significant improvement at 3-month follow-up. The experimental group who received wet-cupping care had significantly lower levels of pain intensity ([95% confidence interval (CI) 1.72-2.60] mean difference=2.17, p<0.01), pain-related disability (95% CI=11.18-18.82, means difference=14.99, p<0.01), and medication use (95% CI=3.60-9.50, mean difference=6.55, p<0.01) than the control group. The differences in all three measures were maintained after controlling for age, gender, and duration of lower back pain in regression models (p<0.01). Traditional wet-cupping care delivered in a primary care setting was safe and acceptable to patients with nonspecific low back pain. Wet-cupping care was significantly more effective in reducing bodily pain than usual care at 3-month follow-up.