Differential placebo effect of sham acupuncture for chronic pain: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The clinical effects of acupuncture are often underestimated due to the placebo effect of sham acupuncture. While multiple sham acupuncture methods have been used in clinical practice, it is challenging to select the appropriate sham acupuncture technique due to the lack of head-to-head trials.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare the differential placebo effects of diverse sham acupuncture interventions, providing evidence-based guidance for selecting optimal placebo controls in clinical practice.

Method

PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (from

SUBMITTER: Wan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12403578 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature