Post-stroke hand dysfunction treated with acupuncture at Zhongzhu (TE 3) and Waiguan (TE 5) / 中国针灸

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the curative effects of post-stroke hand dysfunction treated with acupuncture at Zhongzhu (TE 3) and Waiguan (TE 5).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty cases of post-stroke hand dysfunction were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases) and a control group (30 cases). Routine medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy and other rehabilitation trainings were applied in both groups; Zhongzhu (TE 3) and Waiguan (TE 5) were punctured in observation group. Scores of nervous functions deficit by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), hand function, walking ability, activities of daily living (ADL) by Modified Barthel Index Scale were e valuated in both groups before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment, the scores of hand function, walking ability, ADL and NIHSS were improved in both groups (all P < 0.01), and the hand function, walking ability and ADL in observation group were superior to those in control group (all P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Routine medicine and rehabilitation trainings combined with acupuncture at Zhongzhu (TE 3) and Waiguan (TE 5) to treat post-stroke hand dysfunction can obviously improve the hand dysfunction after stroke, enhance the abilities of walking and daily living, and increase the curative effect.</p>