| Objective To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupoint application in the adjuvant treatment of osteoporosis, and to provide the corresponding evidence-based basis for clinical application. Methods The literature related to acupoint application in osteoporosis treatment was searched from 7 databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library from the establishment of the database to March 1, 2024. Literature bias risk assessment and statistical analysis were performed using RevMan 5.4 software and the Cochrane Bias Assessment Tool for Randomized Controlled Trials (RoB 2.0). Results A total of 12 articles were included in this study, involving 1104 subjects. Compared to the control group (drug therapy alone), the treatment group (acupoint application + drug therapy) had better therapeutic effects in terms of total effective rate, VAS score, ODI score, and bone mineral density, and the difference was statistically significant. A total of 25 patients had adverse reactions after receiving acupoint application therapy. The incidence of adverse reactions was 4.39%, mainly manifesting as skin allergy. Conclusion The clinical efficacy and safety of acupoint application in the adjuvant treatment of osteoporosis are good and worthy of application and promotion in clinical work. In addition, acupoint application has diversity in the selection of drugs and acupoints. It is not easy to unify the treatment standards. There may be potential heterogeneity among related studies. This needs more high-quality clinical studies to confirm in the future. |