Thunder-Fire Moxibustion for Cervical Spondylosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Spinal Disorders

Background:

• Cervical spondylosis (CS) involves degenerative changes in the cervical spine, common in middle-aged and elderly populations.
• Thunder-fire moxibustion, derived from the thunder-fire miraculous needle, has a long history of use for pain syndromes.
• Assessing the efficacy and safety of thunder-fire moxibustion for CS is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thunder-fire moxibustion in treating cervical spondylosis (CS).

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple databases (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Web of Science, etc.) up to December 2018.
• Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing thunder-fire moxibustion with other therapies for CS.
• Cochrane risk of bias tool assessed trial quality, with meta-analysis using random or fixed effect models based on heterogeneity.

Main Results:

• Meta-analysis indicated statistically significant efficacy for thunder-fire moxibustion in treating CS.
• Total effective rate increased (OR=2.48; 95% CI [1.80, 3.41]; P < 0.00001).
• Significant reductions were observed in Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome scores (SMD=-3.05; 95% CI[-4.18, -1.93]).

Conclusions:

• Thunder-fire moxibustion demonstrates statistically significant curative effects and safety for cervical spondylosis based on current evidence.
• Results should be interpreted cautiously due to the low level of evidence.
• Future research requires large-scale, high-quality RCTs with long-term follow-up.