Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1998; 3: 189–90
The aim of our randomized controlled study was to verify, if acupuncture improves functional outcome of hemiplegic patients.
We included 20 hemiplegic patients with a CT- or MRI-documented ischemic area or hemorrhage of more than 1/3 of one hemisphere. They were randomized either to the treatment group (acupuncture two times a week and multidisciplinary rehabilitation programm (MRP); 10 patients) or the control group (only MRP; 10 patients). Before start of treatment and at the end (median 88 days thereafter) the following scales were investigated: Barthel’s Index (BI), European Stroke Scale (ESS), modified Hemispheric Stroke Scale (mHSS), and the Ashworth scale of muscle spasticity (ASS).
The groups were well matched to age, sex, side of ischemia or hemorrhage and initial scoring of neurologic function. Acupuncture treatment tended to improve functional outcome (BI: 71.0 ± 19.4 vs 60.0 ± 25.4; ESS: 67.3 ± 14.9 vs 57.6 ± 12.3; mHSS: 32.1 ± 10.9 vs 35.0 ± 11.8; data are mean ± SDV), but there was no statistically significant (p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney test) effect on motor recovery. In the treatment group muscle spasticity was decreased while in the control group 5 patients received medical treatment (baclofen, botulinum toxin) to decrease spasticity (ASS: arm 0.8 ± 0.8 vs 1.8 ± 1.0; leg 0.7 ± 0.8 vs 1.5 ± 0.8).
1) Acupuncture treatment tended to improve motor recovery and 2) it decreased muscle spasticity which may lead to an improved functional outcome.
