Effects of Acupuncture Combined with Rehabilitation on Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome in Females: A Meta-Analysis Running Head—Acupuncture Combined with Rehabilitation on Chronic Pelvic Pain

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of this combined treatment for chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) by meta-analysis. METHODS: Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data, Web of Science, and Embase, including randomized controlled trials on acupuncture combined with rehabilitation for CPPS in females. RESULTS: A total of 224 articles were retrieved in this study, and 14 studies were finally identified for inclusion. Among them, the treatment group was treated with acupuncture combined with pelvic floor rehabilitation therapy, while the control group was treated with acupuncture or pelvic floor rehabilitation therapy. Meta-analysis showed that the treatment effective rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (OR = 6.54; 95% CI: 4.20, 10.21; P < 0.05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the treatment group showed lower incidences of adverse reactions (OR = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.27; P < 0.05), bladder prolapse (OR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.73; P < 0.05), cervical prolapse (OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.49; P < 0.05), and pelvic peritoneal hernia (OR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.38; P < 0.05); in addition, the treatment group was also associated with lower pain score (SMD = −4.05; 95% CI: −6.75, −1.34; P < 0.05) and pelvic dysfunction score (SMD = -4.35; 95% CI: -5.37, -3.34; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation is effective for CPPS in females, which can significantly reduce the pain intensity and improve pelvic dysfunction of patients.