Objective To systematically review the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine ironing in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. Methods Random controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine ironing in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy from the establishment of the database to March 2023 were retrieved in domestic and overseas databases, such as CNKI, Cochrane Library, and PubMed. RevMan 5.4 was used for a Meta-analysis, which aimed to review the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine ironing in the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy in four terms, including the total effective rate, pain relief, and improvement of cervical spine symptoms and quality of life. Results A total of 10 random controlled trials involving 835 patients were included. The Meta-analysis results showed that the total therapeutic effective rate of the study group was higher than that of the control group [RR=1.17, 95%CI (1.11, 1.23), P<0.001], pain improvement was better than that of the control group [pain visual analogue scale score, MD=-1.26, 95%CI (-1.67, -0.86), P<0.001], the improvement of cervical spine symptoms was also better than that of the control group [Tanaka Yasushi cervical spondylitis symptom scale score, MD=3.03, 95%CI (2.39, 3.67); Neck Disability Index score, MD=-12, 95%CI (-21.46, -2.53); all P<0.001], and quality of life was better than that of the control group[the MOS 36-item short-form of health survey score, MD=12.90, 95%CI (10.25, 15.55), P<0.001]. Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine ironing can effectively treat cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

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