*3.2. Risk of Bias of the Included Studies*

In random sequence generation, five studies were graded as unclear [36,40,46,48,49]. In allocation concealment, 10 studies were graded as unclear [14,15,36,40,44–46,48–50]. Nine studies were graded as high in blinding of participants because several articles were add-on study designs that cannot blind participants [14,38,41–43,46,48–50]. Furthermore, four studies were graded as unclear. In the blinding of outcome assessment, 11 studies were graded as unclear [14,15,39,43–50]. In incomplete outcome data, two studies were graded as unclear [15,44]. Six studies were graded as high as the DR was more than 10% [36–39,41,45]. One study was graded as high in selective reporting because it did not report the outcome variables previously described in the protocol [36]. Detailed visualization of each study with the risk of bias graph is presented in Supplementary Materials Digital Content 3.


**Table**

**1.**

Characteristics

of

the

included

studies.


**Table**

**1.**

*Cont.*


**Table 2.** Detailed description of the acupuncture treatment.


*Healthcare* **2021**, *9*, 1502

**Table 2.** *Cont.*

treatment group.
