Evidence

Research

A curated selection of recent systematic reviews and trials on the techniques our members use, focused on orthopedic and neurological conditions. Each entry links to the original publication. We update this page regularly.

How to read this page: many acupuncture trials are small or have a high risk of bias. We summarise what each study found and point out its limits, so readers can judge the strength of the evidence themselves.

Orthopedic acupuncture

Dry needling / trigger point acupuncture

Needling of myofascial trigger points for musculoskeletal pain.

Most Systematic Reviews of Dry Needling for Musculoskeletal Pain Have High Risk of Bias: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews
Jenkins L, et al. JOSPT Methods, 2026
Most published reviews on dry needling carry a high risk of bias, so firm recommendations are not yet possible and harms are reported inconsistently.
The Impact of Dry Needling With Electrical Stimulation on Pain and Disability in Patients With Musculoskeletal Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Baumann AN, et al. Cureus, 2023 (5 RCTs)
Electrical dry needling may reduce shoulder pain and disability and appeared safe, but did not clearly outperform standard rehabilitation alone.

Orthopedic acupuncture

Motor point acupuncture

Needling the points where motor nerves enter the muscle.

Motor entry point acupuncture for shoulder abduction dysfunction after stroke: a randomized controlled feasibility trial
Lin Z, et al. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2020
Feasibility trial comparing motor entry point acupuncture with standard acupuncture for impaired shoulder abduction after stroke.
Dry needling of muscle motor points for chronic low-back pain: a randomized clinical trial with long-term follow-up
Gunn CC, et al. Spine, 1980 (56 patients)
A landmark early trial of motor point needling for chronic low back pain, often cited as the starting point of this approach.

Orthopedic acupuncture

Distal needling acupuncture

Treating pain with points far from the painful area.

Acupuncture applied at local or distal acupoints reduces pain related to temporomandibular disorders in female patients
The International Journal of Prosthodontics, 2021
Both local and distal acupoints reduced jaw pain in women with temporomandibular disorders.
Treating acute low back pain with acupuncture: a randomized controlled study protocol to compare the effectiveness between distal and local acupoints
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 2024 (protocol)
An ongoing trial in 102 adults testing distal-only against local-plus-distal acupuncture for acute low back pain.

Neuroacupuncture

Chinese scalp acupuncture

Scalp zones over the cerebral cortex, mainly used in stroke rehabilitation.

Effectiveness of scalp acupuncture and comparison with traditional acupuncture for stroke: an overview of systematic reviews and updated evidence
Park SY, et al. Systematic Reviews, 2025
Scalp acupuncture may help recovery after stroke, with some high-quality studies supporting effects on neurological deficits and disability, though overall evidence quality is limited.
Scalp acupuncture for post-stroke spastic hemiparesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Zhang D, et al. Medicine (Baltimore), 2024 (16 RCTs)
Adding scalp acupuncture to rehabilitation appeared to improve spasticity, motor function and daily living; the trials were mostly of low quality.
Efficacy of combination scalp acupuncture for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Li S, et al. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2024 (28 RCTs, 1,995 patients)
Scalp acupuncture combined with other treatments improved cognition after stroke more than those treatments alone, with a high risk of bias in the included trials.

Neuroacupuncture

Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA)

A microsystem of somatotopes on the forehead and scalp.

Yamamoto new scalp acupuncture: its applications and results in painful conditions. Systematic review
Artioli DP, et al. BrJP, 2018
A promising option for pain, but only a few small trials exist and higher-quality studies are needed.

Neuroacupuncture

Ear acupuncture (auriculotherapy)

Ear points with direct nerve connections to the brainstem.

Non-invasive access to the vagus nerve central projections via electrical stimulation of the external ear: fMRI evidence in humans
Frangos E, et al. Brain Stimulation, 2015
Stimulating the vagus-supplied cymba conchae activated the nucleus of the solitary tract, locus coeruleus and other vagal brain areas, unlike earlobe stimulation.
The Effectiveness of Auricular Acupressure on Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Lee TKW, et al. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 2024 (6 RCTs, 496 patients)
Auricular acupressure gave short-term pain relief in chronic musculoskeletal pain; longer-term effects remain unclear.

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Know a recent study on orthopedic or neuroacupuncture that belongs here? Send it to us.