Acupuncture Methods for Piriformis Syndrome: A Protocol for Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background

Piriformis syndrome (PS) is a common disease that is difficult to clinically treat, which seriously affects people’s health and living quality. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that acupuncture therapy is an effective treatment for PS, but the optimal method of various acupuncture methods has remained unknown. The aim of this study protocol is to compare the efficacy and the safety of different acupuncture methods for PS.

Methods

We will search seven electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chongqing VIP Database) from inception to June 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be selected for assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy on PS. Primary outcome measure for this study is pain intensity, and the secondary outcomes are clinical symptoms and signs, physical activity, effective rate, and adverse events. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment will be independently completed by at least two reviewers. Then, standard pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis will be conducted using Revman 5.3, Stata V.15.1 and OpenBUGS V.3.2.3. The heterogeneity will be explored by subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis, if applicable. Finally, Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) pro system will be used to evaluate the quality of evidence.

Results

Our systematic review and network meta-analysis will identify the best acupuncture treatment method for PS patients.

Conclusion

The results of our review will help decision-makers make educated choices regarding evidence-based acupuncture management options for PS.

Prospero Registration Number

No. CRD42022335028.

Keywords:

• piriformis syndrome
• systematic review
• network meta-analysis
• protocol

Patient and Public Involvement

Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

Ethics and Dissemination

Since the study was based on published systematic reviews, no ethical approval was required. The results of this systematic review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Professor Yushan Fan for his help in this study.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 82260983); The Special Project of TCM Talent Team Construction of Guangxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine—Prof. Yushan Fan Guangxi Famous TCM Inheritance Studio (No: 2023017-05-07); Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (No: YCBZ2023149, No: YCSW2022351, No: YCSZ2022009).