Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis
BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. Acupuncture has emerged as a prominent non-pharmacological treatment for KOA. This study aims to analyze the general research status, hotspots, and trends of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA.MethodsOn January...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1604209/full |
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| author | Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Kuayue Zhang Fanying Zhao Xueyan Liu Xueyan Liu Jiarun Zhang Fang Yuan Lu Liu Lu Liu Lu Liu Bin Li Bin Li Bin Li |
| author_facet | Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Kuayue Zhang Fanying Zhao Xueyan Liu Xueyan Liu Jiarun Zhang Fang Yuan Lu Liu Lu Liu Lu Liu Bin Li Bin Li Bin Li |
| author_sort | Jun Zhou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. Acupuncture has emerged as a prominent non-pharmacological treatment for KOA. This study aims to analyze the general research status, hotspots, and trends of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA.MethodsOn January 19, 2025, a comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) for all available literature related to acupuncture and KOA. VOSviewer and CiteSpace software were employed for bibliometric analysis.ResultsA total of 295 publications were retrieved, covering 26 countries, 133 institutions, and 107 journals, with contributions from 1,711 authors. Since 2015, the number of publications on acupuncture for KOA has seen a rapid increase, indicating growing global interest in acupuncture as a potential treatment for KOA. China contributed 73.56% of the research, followed by the United States (10.17%) and the United Kingdom (6.44%). China, the U.S., and the U.K. maintain close academic collaborations, especially between China and the U.S. Beijing University of Chinese Medicine published the most articles (53), but cross-institutional collaboration remains limited. The journal Medicine published the most papers, while Osteoarthritis and Cartilage was the most cited (470 times). Key researchers such as Jianfeng Tu (19 papers), Cunzhi Liu (17 papers), and Liqiong Wang (15 papers), focused on comparing electroacupuncture and traditional acupuncture for KOA. Brian M Berman, the most cited researcher (106 times), made significant contributions to electroacupuncture research. Keyword analysis revealed chronic pain, analgesia, randomized controlled trial (RCT), and meta-analysis as key themes, with electroacupuncture emerging as the current research hotspot.ConclusionWith the support of high-quality randomized controlled trial, acupuncture is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment for KOA. Future research should focus on standardizing treatment protocols and determining the optimal dosage and frequency of acupuncture to maximize clinical efficacy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9b9f30fffffd401b84e641c39614e0c3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-858X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b9f30fffffd401b84e641c39614e0c32025-08-20T03:10:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Medicine2296-858X2025-06-011210.3389/fmed.2025.16042091604209Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysisJun Zhou0Jun Zhou1Jun Zhou2Kuayue Zhang3Fanying Zhao4Xueyan Liu5Xueyan Liu6Jiarun Zhang7Fang Yuan8Lu Liu9Lu Liu10Lu Liu11Bin Li12Bin Li13Bin Li14Center of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Digital Intelligent Acupuncture, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Neuromodulation, Beijing, ChinaBeijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaBeijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaCenter of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaCenter of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaCenter of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaCenter of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Digital Intelligent Acupuncture, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Neuromodulation, Beijing, ChinaCenter of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Digital Intelligent Acupuncture, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Neuromodulation, Beijing, ChinaBackgroundKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. Acupuncture has emerged as a prominent non-pharmacological treatment for KOA. This study aims to analyze the general research status, hotspots, and trends of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA.MethodsOn January 19, 2025, a comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) for all available literature related to acupuncture and KOA. VOSviewer and CiteSpace software were employed for bibliometric analysis.ResultsA total of 295 publications were retrieved, covering 26 countries, 133 institutions, and 107 journals, with contributions from 1,711 authors. Since 2015, the number of publications on acupuncture for KOA has seen a rapid increase, indicating growing global interest in acupuncture as a potential treatment for KOA. China contributed 73.56% of the research, followed by the United States (10.17%) and the United Kingdom (6.44%). China, the U.S., and the U.K. maintain close academic collaborations, especially between China and the U.S. Beijing University of Chinese Medicine published the most articles (53), but cross-institutional collaboration remains limited. The journal Medicine published the most papers, while Osteoarthritis and Cartilage was the most cited (470 times). Key researchers such as Jianfeng Tu (19 papers), Cunzhi Liu (17 papers), and Liqiong Wang (15 papers), focused on comparing electroacupuncture and traditional acupuncture for KOA. Brian M Berman, the most cited researcher (106 times), made significant contributions to electroacupuncture research. Keyword analysis revealed chronic pain, analgesia, randomized controlled trial (RCT), and meta-analysis as key themes, with electroacupuncture emerging as the current research hotspot.ConclusionWith the support of high-quality randomized controlled trial, acupuncture is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment for KOA. Future research should focus on standardizing treatment protocols and determining the optimal dosage and frequency of acupuncture to maximize clinical efficacy.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1604209/fullacupunctureknee osteoarthritisbibliometricsVOSviewerCiteSpace |
| spellingShingle | Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Jun Zhou Kuayue Zhang Fanying Zhao Xueyan Liu Xueyan Liu Jiarun Zhang Fang Yuan Lu Liu Lu Liu Lu Liu Bin Li Bin Li Bin Li Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis Frontiers in Medicine acupuncture knee osteoarthritis bibliometrics VOSviewer CiteSpace |
| title | Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis |
| title_full | Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis |
| title_fullStr | Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis |
| title_short | Research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis |
| title_sort | research trends and hotspots of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis from 2004 to 2024 a bibliometric analysis |
| topic | acupuncture knee osteoarthritis bibliometrics VOSviewer CiteSpace |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1604209/full |
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