Western Medical Acupuncture Perception and Use for Pain Management Among Athletes: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: This systematic review aims to assess the use and perception of "Western" medical acupuncture-based on conventional biomedical mechanisms and evidence-based medicine for diagnosis and needle placement-for pain management among athletes and their healthcare providers.

Methods: A systematic review is reported based on the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Allied and Complementary Medicine databases, and Google Scholar were searched (search: from database inception to July 2023).