Acupuncture in Subacute Stroke: No Benefits Detected

Zhu, Y.

Zhang, L.

Ouyang, G.

Meng, D.

Qian, K.

Wang, T.

Physical therapy

2013

RCT

Stroke

RCT

Acu + Usual Care Versus Usual Care

Acupuncture

TCM Acupuncture Style

Semi-Individualized Acupuncture Protocol

Symptom Based Point Selection

Usual Care Control, Physical

Restricted Modalities, Acupuncture Only

Scalp Acupuncture

Nervous System Diseases

BACKGROUND: There is debate around the effect of acupuncture on stroke with key reviews unable to find evidence of effect. This may be due to poor study design, small sample size and insufficient theoretical background. OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to determine if acupuncture combined with conventional physical therapy improves motor function and activities of daily living in subacute stroke patients compared to conventional physical therapy alone. DESIGN: Multicenter, single-blinded, randomized study. SETTING: Four rehabilitation centers in the Jiangsu province of China participated in this study. PATIENTS: One hundred and eighty-eight patients with subacute stroke admitted to the hospital were randomized into an acupuncture group and a conventional rehabilitation group. INTERVENTIONS: A combination of body and scalp acupuncture was used for three months in the acupuncture group. All patients underwent conventional stroke rehabilitation. MEASUREMENTS: The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Barthel Index (BI) were performed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after inclusion in the study. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found at baseline between the groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups using the FMA motor scores and the BI scores at baseline, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. Significant improvements were found in each group following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with subacute stroke, the addition of body and scalp acupuncture to a regimen of conventional physical therapy does not result in further improvement in either motor function or activities of daily living beyond the effect of conventional physical therapy alone.

10.2522/ptj.20110138

Stroke

>1/WK

188

12 Weeks