Reporting adherence of meridian-sinew Tuina for non-specific neck pain to a 2026 expert consensus

Abstract

This registration is retrospective. It records a systematic appraisal that was completed between 24 September and 1 November 2026. The protocol, the search strategy and the eligibility criteria were finalised in writing before data extraction began; the appraisal itself, however, was finished before this registration was deposited, and it is registered retrospectively for that reason. Purpose. Meridian-sinew Tuina is widely used for non-specific neck pain, but the field has lacked a document specifying the technique as an auditable set of operations. In July 2026 a national expert consensus was issued as a public comment draft that supplies such a specification: a diagnostic standard with sinew-pattern differentiation, a five-step procedural sequence, a list of named techniques, indications and contraindications, and handling procedures for five categories of adverse events. The consensus states what should be done; it does not establish whether existing research reports what it asks for. This appraisal addresses that question. Aim. To quantify, against the consensus as the sole benchmark, how far existing reports of meridian-sinew Tuina for non-specific neck pain adhere to it in what they report, and secondarily to synthesise the efficacy of the technique against conventional Tuina comparators. Methods. Twelve databases were searched to 2 October 2026. Records were resolved through an endpoint chain and screened against PICOS criteria. A 34-item, five-domain instrument was derived clause by clause from the consensus and mapped to TIDieR. Each item was scored yes, no, or not reported; a score of "not reported" records an absence from the report and does not establish that the element was absent from the study. Three parallel assessment flows scored every cell, assisted by a large language model, with a researcher reviewing every score. Where the flows disagreed, the cell entered a fixed four-level adjudication ladder and the ruling was recorded per cell. Adherence is reported as the proportion of cells scored yes, with Wilson confidence intervals. Efficacy uses post-treatment between-group mean differences, so that no assumption about the pre-post correlation is required. Expected outcomes. The appraisal is expected to show that existing reports cannot support an estimate of conformity to the consensus, with the largest deficits in the elements that make the technique reproducible — the procedural sequence and the safety items — and in sinew-pattern differentiation at enrolment. The secondary synthesis is expected to yield exploratory estimates of small magnitude and very low certainty. Deposited materials. This registration includes the full protocol (Chinese and English), the search strategies as executed, and the analysis materials. Every quantity reported in the resulting manuscript can be regenerated from the deposited judgement files, and no proprietary resource is required to do so.