| Item criteria | Description |
---|---|---|
1.Acupuncture rationale | 1a) Style of acupuncture | Korean Medicine Therapy |
1b) Reasoning for treatment provided – based on historical context, literature sources, and/or consensus methods, with references where appropriate | 1. Discussion among four physicians that practice Korean medicine (consensus)2. Textbook of acupuncture and moxibustion medicine3. Relevant articles [20]Selection of treatment regions based on textbooks, related papers, and expert discussions | |
1c) Extent to which treatment varied | Standardized treatment | |
2. Details of needling | 2a) Number of needle insertions per subject per session (mean and range where relevant) | 8 |
2b) Names (or location if no standard name) of points used (uni/bilateral) | ST36, ST41, BL60, BL62, KI3, KI6, GB39, GB40 | |
2c) Depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement or on a particular tissue level | The depth of insertion is 10 to 20 mm, depending on the location of the needle [21] | |
2d) Responses sought | No de qi or muscle twitching – only sensation due to needle insertion | |
2e) Needle stimulation | None | |
2f) Needle retention time | 15 min per session | |
2 g) Needle type | sterile, stainless, disposable acupuncture needles (size 0.25 × 30mm; Dong Bang Acupuncture, Inc., Boryeong, Republic of Korea; Product no: A 84010.02) | |
3. Treatment regimen | 3a) Number of treatment sessions | 5 |
3b) Frequency and duration of treatment sessions | 5 times/week for 1 weeks, 15 min per session | |
4. Other treatment components | 4a) Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group | None |
4b) Setting and context of treatment – including instructions to practitioners – as well as information and explanations given to patients | Practitioner-patient conversation about the context of the treatment, life habits, and daily life management | |
5. Practitioner background | 5a) Description of participating acupuncturists | Korean medicine physician with the following qualifications: 6 years of formal university training in Korean medicine, a licence, and at least 2 years of clinical experience |
6. Control or comparator interventions | 6a) Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify the choice | Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. Ankle sprain Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Seoul: Elsevier Korea, L.C.C. 2015;163–7. |
6b) Precise description of the control or comparator; details for items 1–3 above with the use of sham acupuncture or any other type of acupuncture-like control | Acupuncture combined with Kinesiotape (AcuKT) group will receive the ankle meridian tendino-musculature and figure-of-eight shape form of KT treatment after acupuncture treatment by the same practitioner. The KT treatment method will be conducted as follows: first, an I-shaped tape will be applied from ST42 to ST36 over the tibialis anterior muscle. Second, an I-shaped tape will be applied from GB42 to GB34 over peroneus longus and brevis muscles. Third, an I-shaped tape will be applied from abductor digiti minimi muscle and wrap around the ankle like a figure-of-eight shape to the abductor hallucis muscle covering both medial and lateral malleoli |