Table 2.
Electroacupuncture intervention protocols of included randomized controlled trials.
| References | Acupoints | Unilateral or bilateral | Deqi | Electroacupuncture parameters | Minutes of each time | Dose or frequency | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chen (44) | Ciliao (BL32), Zhongliao (BL33), Huiyang (BL35) | Bilateral | Deqi | Sparse-dense wave | 20 min | Once a day, 5 times a week. | 4 weeks |
| Frequency: 20 Hz | |||||||
| Chu et al. (42) | Sishencong (EX-HN1), Shenshu (UB 23), and Huiyang (BL35) | NR | NR | Sparse wave | 30 min | Once a day, 6 times a week. | 4 weeks |
| He (45) | Lieque (LU 7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taixi (KI 3), Taichongpoint (LR 3), Zhongji (RN3), and Guanyuan (RN4) | Bilateral | Deqi | Sparse-dense wave | 30 min | Once a day | 1month |
| Liu (47) | Shangliao (BL31), Ciliao (BL32), Zhongliao (BL33), Xialiao (BL34), and Huiyang (BL35) | Bilateral | NR | Continuous wave | 30 min | Once a day, 6 times a week. | 2 weeks |
| Frequency: 30~40 Hz | |||||||
| Liu and Du (46) | Ciliao (BL32), Zhongliao (BL33), and Huiyang (BL35) | Bilateral | NR | Continuous wave | 20 min | Once a day, 5 times a week. | 40 days |
| Frequency: 20 Hz | |||||||
| Liu et al. (26) | Shangliao (BL31), Ciliao (BL32), Zhongliao (BL33), Xialiao (BL34) and Huiyang (BL35) | Bilateral | Deqi | Continuous wave | 20 min | Electroacupuncture was performed daily for 10 consecutive days. | 24 days |
| Frequency: 30–40Hz | |||||||
| Liu et al. (36) | Zhongji (RN3), Guanyuan (RN4) | NR | Deqi | Continuous wave | 30 min | Once a day, 5 times a week. | 4 weeks |
| Frequency: 15 Hz | |||||||
| Nie et al. (34) | Ciliao (BL32) | Bilateral | NR | Dense wave | 30 min | Once a day | 12 weeks |
| Song et al. (40) | Qugu (RN2), Zhongji (RN3), Shuidao (ST28), Qihai (RN6), Baihui (GV20), Ezhongxian (MS1), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Zusanli (ST36), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) | Bilateral | Deqi | Sparse-dense wave | NR | 5 times a week | 4 weeks |
| Frequency: 1~10Hz | |||||||
| Electrical current: 2~5mA | |||||||
| Wang et al. (38) | Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Shenshu (UB 23), and Huiyang (BL35) | NR | Deqi | Sishencon: Sparse wave | 30 min | Once a day | 20 days |
| Frequency: 2Hz | |||||||
| Electrical current: 2 mA | |||||||
| Shenshu, Huiyang (BL35): | |||||||
| Dense wave | |||||||
| Frequency: 100 Hz | |||||||
| Electrical current: 2mA | |||||||
| Wang et al. (35) | Guanyuan (RN4), Zhongji (RN3), and Dahe (KI12) | Bilateral | Deqi | Sparse-dense wave | 20 min | Once a day, 5 times a week. | 2 weeks |
| Frequency: 4/20 Hz | |||||||
| Wu and Yang (37) | Shangliao (BL31), Ciliao (BL32), Zhongliao (BL33), and Xialiao (BL34) | Bilateral | Deqi | Continuous wave | 30 min | Once a day | 4 weeks |
| Frequency: 10 Hz | |||||||
| Zhang et al. (41) | Baihui (GV20), Zhongji (RN3), Guanyuan (RN4), Qihai (RN6), Diji (SP 8), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Shenshu (UB 23), and Pangguangshu (BL 28) | NR | Deqi | NR | NR | Once a day, 6 times a week. | 2 weeks |
| Zhao and Hao (39) | Baihui (GV20), Guanyuan (RN4), Zhongji (RN3), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Zusanli (ST36), and Taixi (KI 3) | Bilateral | NR | Electrical current: 0–50 mA | NR | 3 times a week | 3 months |
| Frequency: 15–85 Hz | |||||||
| Pulse width: 200–500 μs | |||||||
| Zhou et al. (43) | Group 1: Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Guanyuan (RN4), Zhongji (RN3), and Shuidao (ST28) | NR | Deqi | Continuous wave | 30 min | Once a day, 10 consecutive sessions make up one course of treatment, with a 3-day interval between courses. | 35 days |
| Group 2: Shenshu (UB 23), Pangguangshu (BL 28), Ciliao (BL 32), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Taixi (KI 3) | Frequency: 2~15 Hz |
NR, Not report. Deqi: a sensation of numbness and distension at the needling site. Unilateral or bilateral: if acupoints are distributed bilaterally. The abbreviations in the acupoints indicate the unique codes of each acupoint.