Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in pain relief and quality of life improvement of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients.
Methods: The following databases will be searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Nation Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, the Chongqing VIP from inception to May 1, 2020. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) used acupuncture or moxibustion to relieve pain and improve quality of life (QoL) among KOA patients will be included. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment and assessment of risk bias will be performed by 2 reviewers independently. Data synthesis will be performed using Review Manager V5.3 software. A meta-analysis will be performed when there is sufficient available data.
Prospero registration number: CRD42020169724.