Pharmacopuncture with Herbal Medicine Extracts Effect in Women with Cervical Spondylosis: A Meta-analysis

Background: A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture in women with cervical spondylosis. Methods: A systematic literature search from up to July 2021 was performed and 18 studies included 1566 women with cervical spondylosis at the start of the study; 813 of them were using pharmacopuncture, 219 were control, and 582 were using other treatments. They were reporting relationships between the efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture in women with cervical spondylosis. The mean difference (MD) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated to assess the efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture in women with cervical spondylosis using the continuous method with a random or fixed-effect model. Results: Pharmacopuncture in women with cervical spondylosis was significantly related to lower Visual analog scale (MD, -1.80; 95% CI, -2.33- -1.27, p<0.001), and no significant difference was found related to the McGill pain questionnaire (MD, -2.11; 95% CI, -4.89- -0.68, p=0.14) compared to control. Pharmacopuncture combined with other treatment in women with cervical spondylosis was significantly related to lower Visual analogue scale (MD, -1.79; 95% CI, -2.24- -1.34, p<0.001), lower Visual analogue scale after 3 months follow up (MD, -1.88; 95% CI, -3.36- -0.41, p=0.01), and higher SF-36 questionnaire (MD, 18.31; 95% CI, 13.33-23.29, p<0.001) compared to other treatment. Conclusions: Pharmacopuncture in women with cervical spondylosis was significantly related to the lower Visual analog scale, and no significant difference was found related to the McGill pain questionnaire compared to control. Pharmacopuncture combined with other treatments in women with cervical spondylosis was significantly related to lower Visual analog scale, lower Visual analog scale after 3 months follow up, and higher SF-36 questionnaire compared to other treatments.