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The effectiveness of acupuncture/TENS for phantom limb syndrome. I: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials

The effectiveness of acupuncture/TENS for phantom limb syndrome. I: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials
The effectiveness of acupuncture/TENS for phantom limb syndrome. I: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials
AbstractIntroduction Phantom limb pain (PLP)/phantom limb sensation (PLS) is common in amputees and difficult to treat but either acupuncture or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may provide relief. A systematic review of controlled studies was carried out to explore clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and adverse effects of these treatments on PLP/PLS. Method Literature searches were carried out using 18 databases (inception – February 2013). Reporting quality and risk of bias of controlled studies were assessed by independent reviewers. Results In two controlled studies, acupuncture significantly improved pain compared with usual care (visual analogue scale 0.17 ± 0.804 vs. 1.82 ± 1.919, p < 0.05; visual rating scale 1.45 ± 1.52 vs. 1.81 ± 2.22, p: not reported); two studies using \ TENS\ showed significant improvement in pain compared with sham \ TENS\ (pain rating index total F(1.31) = 7.48, p < 0.01; pain complain 0/12 vs. 7/12). One study showed better pain relief with \ TENS\ stimulation at stumps than stimulation on contralateral side. The reporting quality and methodological quality of controlled studies are critically discussed. Conclusion There is some evidence for the use of acupuncture and \ TENS\ for the treatment of PLP/PLS but insufficient high quality evidence is available. No studies evaluated cost effectiveness or adverse effects.
Phantom limb pain Phantom limb sensation Phantom limb syndrome Acupuncture Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation Systematic review
1876-3820
355-364
Hu, Xiao-Yang
65904b24-3775-4b14-9532-eb703a056655
Trevelyan, Esme
d3bd6027-4bf0-4f6b-a53f-3b6df264881b
Yang, Guo-Yan
61a737b3-d16d-4f8a-ae89-74630f9c9772
Lee, Myeong Soo
5ee0ac4f-e5bd-44ec-9650-21eba125f403
Lorenc, Ava
08d9d6c2-99d6-4409-9577-c792c7d41751
Liu, Jian-Ping
d08f837e-4340-4fff-9be3-c7cee547c5e6
Robinson, Nicola
8d9e1831-747b-4d1e-aa37-51e0909484c1
Hu, Xiao-Yang
65904b24-3775-4b14-9532-eb703a056655
Trevelyan, Esme
d3bd6027-4bf0-4f6b-a53f-3b6df264881b
Yang, Guo-Yan
61a737b3-d16d-4f8a-ae89-74630f9c9772
Lee, Myeong Soo
5ee0ac4f-e5bd-44ec-9650-21eba125f403
Lorenc, Ava
08d9d6c2-99d6-4409-9577-c792c7d41751
Liu, Jian-Ping
d08f837e-4340-4fff-9be3-c7cee547c5e6
Robinson, Nicola
8d9e1831-747b-4d1e-aa37-51e0909484c1

Hu, Xiao-Yang, Trevelyan, Esme, Yang, Guo-Yan, Lee, Myeong Soo, Lorenc, Ava, Liu, Jian-Ping and Robinson, Nicola (2014) The effectiveness of acupuncture/TENS for phantom limb syndrome. I: A systematic review of controlled clinical trials. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 6 (3), 355-364. (doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2014.01.003).

Record type: Article

Abstract

AbstractIntroduction Phantom limb pain (PLP)/phantom limb sensation (PLS) is common in amputees and difficult to treat but either acupuncture or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may provide relief. A systematic review of controlled studies was carried out to explore clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and adverse effects of these treatments on PLP/PLS. Method Literature searches were carried out using 18 databases (inception – February 2013). Reporting quality and risk of bias of controlled studies were assessed by independent reviewers. Results In two controlled studies, acupuncture significantly improved pain compared with usual care (visual analogue scale 0.17 ± 0.804 vs. 1.82 ± 1.919, p < 0.05; visual rating scale 1.45 ± 1.52 vs. 1.81 ± 2.22, p: not reported); two studies using \ TENS\ showed significant improvement in pain compared with sham \ TENS\ (pain rating index total F(1.31) = 7.48, p < 0.01; pain complain 0/12 vs. 7/12). One study showed better pain relief with \ TENS\ stimulation at stumps than stimulation on contralateral side. The reporting quality and methodological quality of controlled studies are critically discussed. Conclusion There is some evidence for the use of acupuncture and \ TENS\ for the treatment of PLP/PLS but insufficient high quality evidence is available. No studies evaluated cost effectiveness or adverse effects.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 3 January 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 24 January 2014
Published date: 2014
Keywords: Phantom limb pain Phantom limb sensation Phantom limb syndrome Acupuncture Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation Systematic review

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Local EPrints ID: 413738
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413738
ISSN: 1876-3820
PURE UUID: e7d4cd69-b7f2-4687-a741-92978aed53b0
ORCID for Xiao-Yang Hu: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3143-7999

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Date deposited: 01 Sep 2017 16:32
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:24

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Contributors

Author: Xiao-Yang Hu ORCID iD
Author: Esme Trevelyan
Author: Guo-Yan Yang
Author: Myeong Soo Lee
Author: Ava Lorenc
Author: Jian-Ping Liu
Author: Nicola Robinson

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