Tuina for low back pain: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common symptoms prompting patients to seek treatment. In China, tuina is a common treatment for LBP, but its effects and safety remain uncertain. This protocol is to provide the methods used to assess the effectiveness and safety of tuina for the treatment of patients with LBP. METHODS: We will search the following databases by electronic methods: MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data (WAN FANG), and VIP Information (VIP). The time limit for retrieving studies is set to be built in and before July 2018 for each database. The therapeutic effects according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) will be accepted as the primary outcomes. We will use RevMan V.5.3 software as well to compute the data synthesis carefully when a meta-analysis is allowed. RESULTS: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence of tuina for the treatment of patients with LBP. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether tuina is an effective intervention for patient with LBP. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD 42018096762.