{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T19:48:58Z","timestamp":1791834538241,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791504000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common post-exercise condition that can impair athletic performance, training quality, and rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture-related interventions for exercise-induced DOMS in active adults.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI were searched from inception to December 2025, with a manual reference-list update in January 2026. Randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture-related interventions with sham\/placebo or no treatment in healthy adults with exercise-induced DOMS were eligible. Nine RCTs met the eligibility criteria, and seven contributed compatible pain data to meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently extracted data, assessed risk of bias using RoB 2, and rated evidence certainty with GRADE. Pain intensity on a 0\u201310 visual analogue scale was pooled using random-effects models.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Across seven RCTs, acupuncture-related interventions reduced DOMS pain at 24\u2005h (MD \u22120.62, 95% CI \u22121.01 to \u22120.23), 48\u2005h (MD \u22120.71, 95% CI \u22121.20 to \u22120.22), and 72\u2005h (MD \u22120.84, 95% CI \u22121.35 to \u22120.32). Heterogeneity was low (I\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u2009=\u20090%, 3%, and 23%, respectively). None of the pooled estimates reached commonly cited 1.0- or 1.3-point pain thresholds, and no DOMS-specific minimal clinically important difference has been established. Evidence certainty was moderate.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Acupuncture-related interventions may provide modest short-term reductions in DOMS pain, but their clinical importance remains uncertain. The evidence base is small and does not support dry-needling-specific conclusions. Larger, rigorously controlled, modality-specific RCTs are needed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/10538127261494834","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T13:15:05Z","timestamp":1791551705000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acupuncture-Related interventions for exercise-induced delayed-onset muscle soreness in active adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis for sport rehabilitation"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-1468-0609","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hezhou University"},{"name":"Universiti Sains Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6600-8425","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hazwani Ahmad","family":"Yusof","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universiti Sains Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6848-9967","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"ZiMei","family":"Zhong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hezhou University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5143-8623","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"BeiBei","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universiti Sains Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7776-5210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rohayu","family":"Hami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universiti Sains Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-200333020-00005"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00002060-200211001-00007"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1249\/00005768-198412000-00002"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","first-page":"170","article-title":"Physical therapy interventions for delayed onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"49","author":"Nahon RL","year":"2021","unstructured":"Nahon RL, Silva Danosjo J, Overmeyer R, et al. 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