From: The effects of acupuncture on occipital neuralgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Variable | Overall effect | Studies (N) | Sample size (N) | Level of evidence | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MD or OR | 95% CI | P | I2 | ||||
Acupuncture (sole) versus Medication | |||||||
 VAS | −2.35 | −2.84, −1.86 | < 0.001 | 51% | 5 | 305 | Very low |
Acupuncture (sole) versus Medication | |||||||
 Effective rate | 4.96 | 2.24, 10.99 | < 0.001 | 0% | 5 | 322 | Low |
 Effective rate (used less than 10 points) | 4.57 | 1.52, 13.72 | 0.007 | 0% | 3 | 187 | Low |
 Effective rate (used more than or equal10 points) | 5.44 | 1.72, 17.19 | 0.004 | 0% | 2 | 135 | Moderate |
 Effective rate (used meridian points) | 6.69 | 2.44, 18.31 | < 0.001 | 0% | 4 | 255 | Moderate |
 Effective rate (not used meridian points) | 3.03 | 0.83, 11.08 | 0.09 | – | 1 | 67 | Low |
 Effective rate (less than a week) | 5.79 | 1.16, 28.94 | 0.03 | – | 1 | 75 | Moderate |
 Effective rate (between a week and two weeks) | 3.85 | 1.18, 12.59 | 0.03 | 0% | 2 | 127 | Low |
 Effective rate (more than two weeks) | 6.39 | 1.52, 26.87 | 0.01 | 0% | 2 | 120 | Moderate |
Acupuncture (+ Medication) versus Medication | |||||||
 Effective rate | 6.68 | 1.11, 40.37 | 0.04 | 0% | 2 | 130 | Low |