Clinical Observation of Abdominal and Wrist-ankle Acupuncture plus Rehabilitation for Hemiplegia After Ischemic Cerebral Stroke / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective By taking rehabilitation as the control, to observe the effect of abdominal and wrist-ankle acupuncture plus rehabilitation in restoring the motor and neurological function in hemiplegia due to ischemic cerebral stroke, and to optimize the treatment protocol. Method By adopting a randomized controlled clinical design, a hundred patients diagnosed with hemiplegia after ischemic cerebral stroke were randomized into a treatment group (50 cases) and a control group (50 cases) regarding their visiting sequence. The patients all received basic symptomatic treatment to control blood pressure, improve cerebral circulation, stabilize vital signs and prevent complications. In addition, the treatment group received abdominal and wrist-ankle acupuncture plus kinesiotherapy; the control group received rehabilitation training. The two groups were evaluated for therapeutic efficacy after 2 courses of treatment. Before and after the intervention, the recruited patients were tested by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), China Stroke Scale (CSS) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the level of homocysteine (Hcy) was also detected. Result The FMA, CSS and BBS scores all showed significant changes after the intervention in the two groups (P<0.05); after the treatment, the FMA, CSS and BSS scores in the treatment group were significantly different from those in the control group (P<0.05), and there were significant between-group differences in comparing the score differences of FMA,CSS and BBS (P<0.05). The two groups both showed decrease of Hcy, (11.68±4.53)μmol/L in the treatment group versus (13.53±4.01)μmol/L in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Compared to rehabilitation alone, abdominal and wrist-ankle acupuncture plus kinesiotherapy can produce a more significant efficacy in treating hemiplegia due to ischemic cerebral stroke.