Table IIb.
Results of network meta-analyses for comparisons with acupuncture: trials of any-quality
| Intervention [abbreviations in brackets relate to Fig. 1(a–d)] | No. of trials (No. of patients) | SMD (95% Cr I) | Difference expressed on a WOMAC VAS 0-100 pain scale (95% Cr I)∗ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture (comparator) | – | – | |
| Interferential therapy (INT) | 3 (98) | −0.74 (−1.54 to 0.05) | −12.21 (–25.33 to 0.84) |
| TENS (TENS) | 12 (285) | 0.24 (−0.22 to 0.70) | 3.92 (–3.70 to 11.50) |
| PES (PES) | 6 (180) | 0.25 (−0.35 to 0.84) | 4.04 (–5.78 to 13.87) |
| Balneotherapy (BAL) | 9 (275) | 0.29 (−0.22 to 0.81) | 4.82 (–3.60 to 13.28) |
| Aerobic exercise (AE EX) | 11 (428) | 0.34 (−0.11 to 0.79) | 5.67 (–1.84 to 13.00) |
| Tai Chi (TAI) | 4 (159) | 0.38 (−0.22 to 0.98) | 6.30 (–3.58 to 16.12) |
| Static magnets (MAG) | 2 (41) | 0.39 (−0.48 to 1.25) | 6.41 (–7.86 to 20.61) |
| Sham Acupuncture (SH ACU) | 14 (892) | 0.42 (0.15 to 0.70) | 6.93 (2.50 to 11.46) |
| Manual therapy (MAN) | 4 (166) | 0.45 (−0.14 to 1.05) | 7.47 (–2.30 to 17.23) |
| Muscle-strengthening exercise (MU EX) | 28 (1254) | 0.49 (0.15 to 0.84) | 8.14 (2.41 to –13.83) |
| Ice/cooling treatment (ICE) | 3 (51) | 0.54 (−0.16 to 1.25) | 8.88 (–2.70 to 20.61) |
| Heat treatment (HEA) | 5 (123) | 0.58 (−0.02 to 1.18) | 9.55 (–0.30 to 19.44) |
| Laser therapy (LAS) | 5 (155) | 0.62 (−0.02 to 1.25) | 10.16 (–0.28 to 20.61) |
| Weight loss (WEI) | 5 (436) | 0.63 (0.13 to 1.14) | 10.44 (2.13 to 18.72) |
| PEMF (PEMF) | 5 (238) | 0.74 (0.13 to 1.36) | 12.26 (2.22 to 22.36) |
| Placebo (PLA) | 42 (1077) | 0.82 (0.40 to 1.25) | 13.53 (6.58 to 20.53) |
| Standard Care (SC) | 53 (2308) | 0.89 (0.59 to 1.18) | 14.69 (9.80 to 19.52) |
| Braces (BRA) | 1 (12) | 0.89 (–0.51 to 2.31) | 14.76 (–8.49 to 38.01) |
| Insoles (INS) | 3 (197) | 0.99 (0.21 to 1.78) | 16.33 (3.41 to 29.30) |
| NMES (NMES) | 2 (28) | 1.11 (0.22 to 1.98) | 18.27 (3.57 to 32.72) |
| No intervention (NO INT) | 5 (87) | 1.33 (0.69 to 1.97) | 21.95 (11.30 to 32.52) |
| Data points: 131 Residual deviance: 152. Between-study standard deviation: 0.45 (95% CI: 0.36–0.55). | |||
∗
see Table IId footnote.