Front Med (Lausanne). 2026 Feb 17;13:1737602. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1737602. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain can undermine athletic performance. Medical procedures that fall under Western medical acupuncture (WMA) such as dry needling, grounded in conventional scientific principles, represent a promising adjunct to conventional pain treatments. However, its effectiveness among athletes remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether WMA reduces pain in athletic populations.

METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Allied and Complementary Medicine databases, and Google Scholar (latest search: July 2023). We included primary studies that used WMA techniques, including dry needling, manual acupuncture, and percutaneous needle electrolysis, applied based on biomedical principles. Eligible studies diagnosed pain using conventional medical criteria or validated tools and selected evidence-based acupoints based on peer-reviewed research and/or conventional anatomy and physiology, without reference to traditional Asian acupuncture principles. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to assess pre-post and between-group changes in pain.

RESULTS: We included 8 studies with overall good internal validity. Publication biases and heterogeneity between studies were identified. In pre-post within-group analyses, WMA techniques alone significantly reduced mean pain scores (number of studies (n) = 5, p-value = 0.002) whereas WMA techniques combined with exercise and/or physiotherapy showed a nonsignificant reduction (n = 3, p-value = 0.206). In between-group comparisons, significant decreases in mean pain scores were observed for both WMA techniques alone (n = 1, p-value = 0.0003) and WMA techniques combined with exercise and/or physiotherapy (n = 3, p-value = 0.011). The certainty of evidence was rated low for WMA techniques alone and moderate for WMA techniques combined with physiotherapy and/or exercise.

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that WMA techniques alone or combined with physiotherapy and/or exercise may reduce pain among athletes. However, the current evidence base remains preliminary, and additional well-controlled trials are required to establish its efficacy with greater confidence.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://osf.io/qb9gc/overview, identifier osf.io/qb9gc.

PMID:41783063 | PMC:PMC12953514 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2026.1737602