Additional effects of acupuncture on early comprehensive rehabilitation in patients with mild to moderate acute ischemic stroke: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Impossible to have a direct effect. Energy meridians have never been proven to exist. It is all just theatrical placebo. Testing in the first three weeks would conflate with spontaneous recovery
http://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-016-1193-y

• Lifang Chen,
• Jianqiao FangEmail author,
• Ruijie Ma,
• Xudong Gu,
• Lina Chen,
• Jianhua Li and
• Shouyu Xu

BMC Complementary and Alternative MedicineBMC series – open, inclusive and trusted201616:226

DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1193-y

©  The Author(s). 2016

Received: 29 August 2015

Accepted: 7 July 2016

Published: 18 July 2016

Open Peer Review reports

Abstract

Background

Acupuncture is not considered a conventional therapy for post-stroke sequelae but it might have some additional positive effects on early rehabilitation. We conducted this trial to determine whether acupuncture has additional effects in early comprehensive rehabilitation for acute ischemic stroke and dysfunctions secondary to stroke.

Methods

Two hundred fifty patients were randomized into two groups: acupuncture (AG) or no acupuncture (NAG). Eighteen acupuncture treatment sessions were performed over a 3-week period. The primary outcome was blindly measured with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at week 1, week 3, and week 7. Secondary outcomes included: Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for motor function, bedside swallowing assessment (BSA) and videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) for swallowing function, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive function, and the adverse reaction of acupuncture for safety assessment.

Results

Significant improvements from acupuncture treatment were observed in NIHSS (p < 0.001), VFSS (p < 0.001), MMSE (p < 0.001), MoCA (p = 0.001), but not obtained from FMA (p  = 0.228). Changes from baseline of all above variables (except FMA) also had the same favorable results. A significant improvement in FMA lower extremity subscale appeared in AG (p = 0.020), but no significant difference was found for the upper extremity subscale (p = 0.707). More patients with swallowing disorder recovered in AG (p = 0.037). Low incidence of mild reaction of acupuncture indicated its safety.

Conclusions

This trial showed acupuncture is safe and has additional multi-effect in improving neurologic deficits, swallowing disorder, cognitive impairment, and lower extremity function, but has no significant improvement for upper extremity function during this short-term study period.

Trial registration

Chictr.org ChiCTR-TRC −12001971 (March 2012).