In a systematic review and meta-analysis, simple needling proved to be more effective than Ibuprofen in the management of dysmenorrhea. The researchers set out to assess the effectiveness and safety of simple needling compared to Ibuprofen as a treatment for primary dysmenorrhea patients.

A comprehensive search encompassing 7 electronic databases and relevant medical journals was carried out. The methodological quality of eligible randomized clinical trials (RCTs) meeting the inclusion criteria was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and a meta-analysis was carried out utilizing Review Manager version 5.3.

There were a total of 23 RCTs in the study. The meta-analysis revealed that in comparison to the Ibuprofen groups, the simple needling groups exhibited superior outcomes in terms of cure rate (relative risk = 2.29), total effective rate (relative risk = 1.24), and visual analogue scale (VAS) score (mean difference = -1.24). Out of the seven studies that documented adverse events, four of them reported mild adverse events.

Simple needling was more promising than Ibuprofen for symptomatic control of dysmenorrhea. However, due to the limited number of studies that examined the occurrence of adverse events associated with simple needling, there is insufficient evidence to confirm the safety of using simple needling for dysmenorrhea.