A comparison between acupotomy vs the local steroid injection for the management of soft tissue disorder: A systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND: This systematic review protocol aims to provide the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of acupotomy therapy for treating soft tissue disorder comparing to local steroid injection. METHODS: Fifteen databases will be searched from inception to Dec 2019. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupotomy for soft tissue disorder. All RCTs on acupotomy or related interventions will be included. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by two reviewers. Assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias will be used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. RESULTS: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis of pain visual analog scale and functional disability or the quality of life, the success treatment rate, the recurrent rate, and the complications rate to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for soft tissue disorder patients compare to local steroid injection. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether acupotomy is an effective intervention for patients with soft tissue disorder. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018109080.