Acupuncture for ankle sprain: systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Integrative Medicine
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Ankle sprains are common musculoskeletal injuries.
• The effectiveness of acupuncture for ankle sprains is not well-established.
• A systematic review was conducted to assess current evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating ankle sprains.
• To synthesize findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for ankle sprains.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of 15 databases and 2 trial registries was performed up to February 2012.
• RCTs involving patients with ankle sprains were included, focusing on symptom improvement and pain.
• Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool, with meta-analysis of risk ratios and mean differences.

Main Results:

• Seventeen trials with 1820 participants were analyzed; overall trial quality was poor.
• Acupuncture groups showed significantly more global symptom improvement than non-acupuncture groups (RR 0.56), likely an overestimate due to bias.
• Acupuncture as an add-on treatment showed consistent improvement (RR 0.61) with low heterogeneity; benefits in pain, activity, and quality of life were noted but based on limited studies. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusions:

• Methodological limitations and a scarcity of high-quality studies preclude recommending acupuncture as an evidence-based treatment for ankle sprains.
• Further rigorous investigations are necessary to establish definitive conclusions on acupuncture's efficacy for ankle sprains.