Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Dry Needling in Treating Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Meta-Analyses

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common cause of anterior knee pain and functional limitation. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture and dry needling for PFPS. Randomized controlled trials published between 2005 and 2025 were retrieved from eight databases. Eight studies were included. Needling-based interventions, including dry needling and trigger point acupuncture targeting the quadriceps and gluteus medius, were analyzed.
Meta-analysis showed that needling-based interventions combined with conservative treatment significantly improved pain (Numeric Pain Rating Scale: mean difference [MD] = −2.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], −3.88 to −1.86) and function (Kujala score: MD = 10.07; 95% CI, 4.45 to 15.69) compared with conservative treatment alone. Compared with sham needling plus conservative treatment, significant improvement in Kujala score was also observed (MD = 12.02; 95% CI, 0.99 to 23.05). Although heterogeneity was present in several analyses, acupuncture and dry needling may improve pain and functional outcomes in PFPS. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed.