The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

•Acupuncture may provide a safe and effective complementary/alternative treatment method.•Review of RCTs assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture in manage myofascial pain was systematically conducted.•Moderate quality evidence suggests that acupuncture is a safe and effective modality.•Optimization of study designs and standardization of outcome measures are needed for future RCTs.