Acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome: A systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Neurology
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Acupotomy is a common treatment for nerve entrapment syndrome.
• Scientific evaluation of acupotomy's efficacy and safety is lacking.
• Need for rigorous assessment of acupotomy in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome.
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupotomy treatment.
• To provide evidence for clinical decision-making regarding acupotomy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Searched 15 databases from inception to December 2019.
• Independent data extraction and quality assessment by two reviewers using Cochrane criteria and RevMan 5.3 software.

Main Results:

• Synthesis of outcomes including pain (VAS), functional disability, quality of life, treatment success, recurrence, and complications.
• Assessment of effectiveness and safety of acupotomy.
• High-quality synthesis of data from included RCTs.

Conclusions:

• This systematic review will provide evidence on the effectiveness of acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome.
• The findings will help determine if acupotomy is a viable intervention.
• Contributes to evidence-based practice in managing nerve entrapment syndrome.