Clinical observation on acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine and rehabilitation training for subacute stroke patients

Nothing here can be specifically assigned to acupuncture use. In this setting everything can be associated with spontaneous recovery. Acupuncture can have no effect because there are no proven energy meridians. A Fugl-Meyer Assessment is not objective so no credence can be assigned to those test results using that as an endpoint.
This would all have to be placebo or spontaneous recovery.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11726-015-0871-5

• Kai-tao Luo罗开涛 
• , Gao-feng Zhu朱高峰
• , Lai-hua Shen沈来华
• , Feng Gao高峰
• , Li-feng Qian钱立锋

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Abstract

Objective

To observe the clinical effect of combining acupuncture, Chinese medicine and rehabilitation training for subacute stroke.

Methods

A total of 120 subacute stroke cases were randomly allocated into a treatment group (n=60) and a control group (n=60). Patients in the control group received standard rehabilitation therapy alone, whereas patients in the observation group received additional acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Before treatment, after 30-day and 60-day treatments, and 3 months after treatment, the neurologic deficit severity was evaluated using the National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS); the motor function was evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA); the activities of daily living (ADL) was evaluated using the Barthel index (BI); and the changes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms were evaluated according to TCM symptom scores.

Results

After 30-day, 60-day treatments, and 3 months after treatment, the NIHSS, FMA, BI and TCM symptoms scores were statistically different from those before treatment in both groups (all P<0.05); and there were between-group statistical differences at same time points (all P<0.05).

Conclusion

Combining acupuncture, Chinese medicine and rehabilitation training can improve neurologic deficit, motor function and ADL in subacute stroke patients and its efficacy is better than rehabilitation therapy alone.