Table 1.
The characteristics of included studies in this systematic review.
| Author, year | Method | Participants total (T/C) | Mean (SD)/range age | Intervention | Acupuncture points | Frequency and duration of acupuncture intervention | Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Control | Treatment | Control | ||||||
| Fink et al., 2002 [20] | RCT | 45 (23/22) | 52.5 ± 8.7 | 51.6 ± 10.0 | Real acupuncture | Sham acupuncture | Ashi, LI10, LI11, LU5, LI4, and SJ5 | 25 min/treatment; 10 treatments, with 2 treatments per week | (1) Maximal muscle strength (2) VAS (3) DASH |
|
| |||||||||
| Irnich et al., 2003 [21] | RCT | 50 (25/25) | 31–70 | 38–65 | Real acupuncture | Sham acupuncture | LI4, LI10, SI3, SJ5, and GB34 | 25 min/treatment; 3 treatments within 10 days | (1) PPT (2) GS (3) IP |
|
| |||||||||
| Jiang et al., 2005 [22] | RCT | 128 (64/64) | 42.14 ± 5.62 | 41.68 ± 5.76 | Electroacupuncture plus moxibustion with material insulation | Blockage therapy | LI4, LR3 | 20 min/treatment; 10 treatments within 5 treatments per week | Elbow function status |
|
| |||||||||
| Li et al., 2014 [23] | RCT | 86 (43/43) | 18–22 | 18–22 | Electroacupuncture plus massage and blockage therapy | Blockage therapy | Ashi, LI11, LI12, LI10, SJ5, and LI4 | 30 min/treatment; once per day for 10 days | (1) VAS (2) GSI (3) MEPS |
VAS: Visual Analog Scale; DASH: disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand; PPT: pressure pain threshold; GS: grip strength; IP: impairment caused by pain; GSI: grip strength index; MEPS: Mayo Elbow Performance Score.