Effectiveness and safety of warm needle acupuncture for sciatica: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Sciatica is a syndrome characterized by sciatic nerve path and distribution area pain. Many kinds of literature reported the definite effect of warm needle acupuncture (WNA) on sciatica. However, there is no systematic review or meta-analysis on WNA for sciatica. Therefore, this study will design a protocol to comprehensively and systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of WNA on sciatica. METHODS: The two researchers in this study will search the electronic database for randomized controlled trials, (RCTs) of WNA on sciatica, The databases we will search include PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, and Chinese biomedical literature database (CBM). Review Manager 5.4 software and Cochrane risk bias tool will be us used for data analysis and to evaluate research quality. The main clinical indicators will include visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). RESULTS: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of WNA for sciatica. CONCLUSION: This study will provide a reliable scheme for objectively and comprehensively evaluating the efficacy and safety of WNA on sciatica. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020110074