Application of Electroacupuncture plus Movement Therapy in Recovering Neurologic Function of Patients with Spastic Hemiplegia / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture plus constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) in recovering neurologic function of patients with spastic hemiplegia.MethodSixty patients with post-stroke spastic hemiplegia were randomized into an electroacupuncture group, a CIMT group, and an electroacupuncture+CIMT (integrated) group to receive corresponding intervention in addition tothe ordinary rehabilitation treatment, 20 cases in each group. Before treatment and after 4-week treatment, the modified Ashworth Scale, Clinical Neurologic Deficit Scale, Short-form Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMA), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were adopted for evaluation and comparison.ResultAfter 4-week treatment, the Ashworth score and neurologic deficit score were significantly reduced in the three groups (P<0.01), and the scores in CIMT group were significantly lower than that in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05), and the scores in the integrated group were markedly lower than that in the other two groups (P<0.05); the FMA and BBS scores were significantly increased after intervention in the three groups (P<0.01), and the scores in CIMT group were higher than that in the elctroacupuncture group (P<0.05), and the scores in the integrated group were higher than that in the other two groups(P<0.05).ConclusionElectroacupuncture plus CIMT can reduce the muscular tension of the affected limb in patients with spastic hemiplegia, and improve the neurologic function, motor function, and the quality of life of the patients.