Electroacupuncture and Manual Acupuncture Increase Joint Flexibility but Reduce Muscle Strength

Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Hip Flexibility and Pain in Taekwondo Participants: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

In sports, hip flexibility is essential to reduce injuries and improve performance.

AIM

This study aimed to examine the effects of auricular acupressure on hip flexibility and pain in Taekwondo participants.

METHOD

This randomized controlled trial was performed in the Republic of Korea from January 2021 to August 2021. The Numeric Rating Scale for Pain and Hip Flexibility was used. Twenty-one participants received auricular pressure once weekly for six weeks, while 17 participants did not receive any intervention. Auricular acupressure was applied to the hip (AH13), Shinmun, and auricular acupressure points associated with the pain areas reported by the participants.

RESULTS

Auricular acupressure improved hip flexibility (t = 2.67, p = .011) and back pain (t = 2.11, p = .043). The mean difference in post-pretest hip flexibility in the experimental group was 16.24 degrees (±13.63), whereas that in the control group was 4.77 degrees (±15.07). The mean difference in the experimental group's pre-post-test scores of back pain was 1.24 (±2.64), whereas that in the control group was 0.18 (±1.41).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed that auricular acupressure could be used to treat pain and improve hip flexibility.

Electroacupuncture as an Adjuvant Approach to Rehabilitation during Postacute Phase after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Increasing attention has been paid to electroacupuncture (EA) for promoting postoperative rehabilitation, but the effectiveness of EA for rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains obscure.

Objective

To examine the effect of EA on rehabilitation after TKA.

Methods

Database searches on PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were carried out to obtain articles, from inception to 15 October 2020. All identified articles were screened, and data from each included study were extracted independently by two investigators. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of acupuncture on pain, range of knee motion, and postoperative vomiting after TKA.

Results

In the current study, a total of ten randomized clinical trials were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Compared to basic treatment, EA combined with basic treatment showed a significantly greater pain reduction on 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively after TKA. However, we found that EA had no significant improvement in enhancing the range of knee motion and decreasing the percentage of vomiting. Subgroup analysis suggested that a combination of EA and rehabilitation training was superior to rehabilitation training in pain relief, while EA combined with celecoxib capsules showed no significant difference in improving pain compared to celecoxib capsules alone.

Conclusions

In the postacute phase after TKA, EA, as a supplementary treatment, could reduce postoperative pain, but no evidence supported the benefits of EA for improving ROM of knee and decreasing the ratio of vomiting. Additional high-quality and large-scale RCTs are warranted.