Acupuncture for postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common surgical method in orthopaedics; however, pain management after TKA remains a significant challenge. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of acupuncture for postoperative pain after TKA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The following 10 databases will be searched until August 2015: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, AMED, CINAHL, three Chinese databases (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and Wanfang Database) and five Korean databases (the Korean Medical Database, the Korean Studies Information Service System, the National Discovery for Science Leaders, the Database Periodical Information Academic, and the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System). All eligible randomised controlled trials related to the use of acupuncture for postoperative pain after TKA will be included. Assessment of risk of bias will be performed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias method. Mean differences or standardised mean differences will be calculated with 95% CIs for continuous data; the risk ratio will be used with 95% CIs for dichotomous data. DISSEMINATION: This systematic review will be presented in a peer-reviewed journal. The result of this review will also be disseminated at a relevant conference presentation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2015: CRD42015020924.