Fire Dragon Cupping may improve clinical efficacy in post-stroke shoulder-hand syndromeFire Dragon Cupping Therapy May Improve Post-Stroke Shoulder Hand Function

This is a meta-analysis evaluating the effect of Fire Dragon Cupping (FDC) therapy on clinical efficacy in patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS). The analysis pooled data from 1,087 patients across included studies. The primary outcome was clinical efficacy, and the pooled result showed a relative risk of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.28; 95% PI: 1.10 to 1.31), indicating a possible improvement in clinical efficacy with FDC compared to control.

The authors note that all included studies were conducted in China, which may limit generalizability to other populations. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE framework, but the abstract summary does not explicitly state the level of certainty. Adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuations were not reported, so the safety profile of FDC remains unclear.

Given the observational nature of the meta-analysis (though based on RCTs), the findings should be interpreted as suggestive rather than definitive. The authors suggest that FDC may provide guidance for the application and development of therapy for SHS, but further research with diverse populations and explicit safety reporting is needed.