Acupuncture for rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: The increasing interest in acupuncture for promoting postoperative rehabilitation has encouraged its use in rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but its effectiveness remains controversial.

Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy of different models of acupuncture-related therapies on pain relief, motor function, inflammation, and overall rehabilitation of the knee after TKA.

Methods: Databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched to screen eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). All RCTs that used acupuncture/moxibustion on TKA patients were included by two researchers independently after rigorous quality evaluation, with data extracted. The statistics were performed by using R 4.2.3 and Stata 17.

Results: The network meta-analysis incorporated 28 RCTs, 21 of which were conducted in mainland China and Taiwan. Evidence of the relation of several common acupuncture/moxibustion treatments was shown by the network meta-analysis (NMA). The results of NMA showed that electroacupuncture was the preferred therapy for soothing pain symptoms (standardized mean difference=0.58, 95% CI=0.36-0.81). Auricular acupressure was the best treatment to improve the knee motor function. Electroacupuncture was superior to special acupuncture in relieving knee joint stiffness and inflammation.

Conclusion: Acupuncture intervention, especially electroacupuncture, can effectively alleviate pain, improve motion, reduce stiffness, and decrease inflammation in post-TKA patients with no serious adverse events.