Traditional Chinese medicine Jianpi therapy in exercise-induced fatigue: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced fatigue (EIF) is a common occurrence in sports competition and training. It may cause trouble to athletes’ motor skill execution and cognition. Although traditional Chinese medicine Jianpi therapy has been commonly used for EIF management, relevant evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Jianpi therapy is still unclear. METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, SinoMed, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang will be searched for relevant randomized controlled trials from databases from 2000 to 2021. Randomized controlled trials related to traditional Chinese medicine Jianpi therapy in the treatment and management of EIF will be included. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the data will be performed in RevMan 5.3 according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Two authors independently performed the literature searching, data extraction, and quality evaluation. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for randomized clinical trials. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize the latest evidence for traditional Chinese medicine Jianpi therapy in EIF. The results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal once completed. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our research will provide evidence to support traditional Chinese medicine Jianpi therapy as an effective intervention for patients with EIF. OSF Registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/NRKX4.