Effect of Electroacupuncture plus Early Rehabilitation Training on Function Recovery after Surgery for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture plus early rehabilitation training on the function recovery after surgery for cervical spinal cord injury. Methods Sixty patients with cervical spinal cord injury undergone anterior cervical decompression and internal fixation were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by electroacupuncture plus rehabilitation training, while the control group was by rehabilitation training alone. The Frankel’s grading (FG), Barthel Index (BI), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were adopted for evaluation before and after intervention. Results The FG was not significantly changed after intervention in both groups (P>0.05). After intervention, there was no significant difference in comparing FG between the two groups (P>0.05). The BI and FIM scores were significantly changed after intervention in both groups (P＜0.01). There were significant differences in comparing BI and FIM scores between the two groups (P＜0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture plus early rehabilitation training can promote the function recovery after surgery for cervical spinal cord injury, and improve the quality of life.