Analysis of Acupoint Selection and Combinations in Acupuncture Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome: A Protocol for Data Mining

Abstract

Background

Piriformis syndrome (PS) is a neuromuscular condition characterized by discomfort in the gluteal region. The efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment modality for PS has been substantiated through a multitude of clinical trials. However, certain queries persist, such as the optimal approach for identifying the most efficacious acupoints. The objective of this study is to perform an initial data mining analysis aimed at identifying the optimal acupoint selection and combinations for the treatment of PS.

Methods

We will search 7 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. We will select clinical trials that evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture therapy in the management of PS. Exclusions will be made for reviews, protocols, animal trials, case reports, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. The primary outcome measure will be clinical outcomes associated with PS. Descriptive statistics will be performed in Excel 2019. Association rule analysis will be performed in SPSS Modeler 18.0. Exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis will be performed in SPSS Statistics 26.0.

Results

This study will investigate the most effective acupoint selection and combinations for patients with PS.

Conclusion

Our findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and potential treatment prescriptions of acupoint application for patients with PS, helping clinicians and patients make a more informed decision together.

Keywords:

• piriformis syndrome
• acupuncture
• data mining

Author Contributions

Each of the authors has made noteworthy contributions to the work being reported, encompassing the areas of conceptualization, research design, execution, analysis, and interpretation, or a combination thereof. They have been involved in the drafting, revising, or reviewing of the article, have given their approval for the version to be published, and have consented to submitting the manuscript to the journal. Furthermore, they have agreed to take responsibility for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (No. YCBZ2023149, No. YCSW2022351, No. YCSZ2022009); 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); National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82260983).