Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk：systematic review and meta-analysis

eview question / Objective Population (P): Adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with chronic sciatica from herniated disk (CSFHD) per NASS guidelines, with unilateral radiating leg pain, positive imaging for lumbar disc herniation, and meeting relevant clinical/diagnostic criteria.Intervention (I): Conventional manual acupuncture (MA) at acupoints.Comparison (C): Sham acupuncture (SA), including blunt needles without skin penetration or insertion at non-acupoints.Outcomes (O): Primary outcomes: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for leg/low back pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and adverse effects (AEs) at 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks of treatment and 16-week follow-up.Study Design (S): Randomized controlled trials (RCTs).Condition being studied The team consists of 2 medical professors and 3 medical doctors,with strong scientific research ability,and I can complete this work full time.The study has been completed but not yet published. METHODS Participant or population Patient with Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk.Intervention Conventional manual acupuncture (MA) at acupoints.Comparator Sham acupuncture (SA), defined as two standardized forms: ① Blunt acupuncture needles without skin penetration (simulating the operational procedure of real acupuncture without actual acupoint stimulation); ② Needle insertion at non-acupoint locations (avoiding traditional acupoints and meridians related to sciatica treatment, with insertion depth and duration consistent with the acupuncture group).The sham acupuncture intervention was designed to control for the placebo effect by mimicking the external INPLASY