Masking and intervention
The group allocation information was sealed an envelope and given to the acupuncturist. The surgeons, principal investigators, study staff, data analysts, and the participants were blinded to grouping. Using the sham electroacupuncture design in the previous literature(Liu et al., In SA group, noninserted sham needles were applied to the same acupoints as in EA group. The electrodes were attached to these needles with, the same treatment setting as in the EA group. The EA device was turned on, but the electrodes were not inserted into an active port on the device, and no skin penetration or needle manipulation was achieved for “De qi.” Intervention was not performed on HCs. All the patients included in the final analysis completed 5 treatment sessions during the 5‐day treatment.