ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of acupuncture therapy on post-hemiplegia neck and shoulder pain.Methods:Eighty patients with post-stroke hemiplegia with neck and shoulder pain who received treatment in Department of Acupuncture, Massage and Physiotherapy, Zhejiang Provincial Armed Police Corps Hospital between December 2020 and June 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to undergo either conventional rehabilitation treatment and analgesic tablets (control group, n = 40) or conventional rehabilitation treatment, analgesic tablets and acupuncture therapy in combination (observation group, n = 40). Traditional Chinese medicine efficacy, western medicine efficacy, degree of neurological deficits, ability of daily living, and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results:After treatment, traditional Chinese medicine efficacy and western Chinese medicine efficacy in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (87.50% vs. 52.50%, 82.50% vs. 55.00%), and the incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (17.50% vs. 42.50%, χ2 = 21.48, 16.33, 9.12, all P < 0.05). In the control group, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score measured after treatment was significantly lower than that measured before treatment [(7.58 ± 1.87) points vs. (14.87 ± 1.36) points, t = -9.58, P < 0.001], and Barthel Index (BI) measured after treatment was significantly higher than that measured before treatment [(53.78 ± 1.34) points vs. (37.92 ± 1.74) points, t = 6.35, P < 0.001]. In the observation group, NIHSS score measured after treatment was significantly lower than that measured before treatment [(5.44 ± 2.11) points vs. (14.51 ± 0.34) points, t = -12.69, P < 0.001], and BI measured after treatment was significantly higher than that measured before treatment [(62.02 ± 0.68) points vs. (37.73 ± 1.58) points, t = 7.45, P < 0.05]. BI post-measurement in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(62.02 ± 0.68) points vs. (53.78 ± 1.34) points, t = 4.35, P < 0.05]; NIHSS score post-measurement in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [(5.44 ± 2.11) points vs. (7.58 ± 1.87) points, t = -8.48, P < 0.05]. Conclusion:Acupuncture treatment for post-hemiplegia neck and shoulder pain can markedly reduce pain in patients, improve prognosis and increase clinical efficacy.