Scalp-acupuncture for patients with hemiplegic paralysis of acute ischaemic stroke: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of scalp-acupuncture on subjects with hemiplegic paralysis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with hemiplegic paralysis of 1 to 7 d post stroke, aged 40 to 75 years, were randomly allocated to receive either standard care (control group) or standard care plus 30 min of scalp-acupuncture applied to the bilateral anterior oblique line of the vertex-temporal (MS6) for 14 d (6 d/week) (trial group). The outcome measures included the National Institutes of Health Stroke scale (NIHSS) for neurological deficits, the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) for limb impairment, and Barthel index (BI) for activities of daily living before and after intervention. The manual muscle test (MMT) was assessed at pre-intervention, at the first post-intervention immediately, and at the 14th day after intervention commencement. Measurements were recorded by a blinded investigator at different time points after initiating the intervention.

Results: The trial group had a greater increase in MMT (P < 0.05), FMA, and BI scores (P < 0.01), and a greater decrease in NIHSS scores (P < 0.01) from pre-intervention to post-intervention, and the control group had a greater increase in MMT scores (P < 0.05), and a greater decrease in NIHSS scores(P < 0.01) from pre-intervention to post-intervention. The improvement in MMT (P < 0.01), FMA, BI (P < 0.05), and NIHSS (P < 0.01) scores in the trial group was superior to that of the control group. Meanwhile, scalp-acupuncture intervention had an immediate effect on myodynamia of patients with hemiplegic paralysis after acute ischaemic stroke in this randomized controlled trial.

Conclusion: The early scalp-acupuncture intervention after stroke effectively increased myodynamia of the affected limbs, improved neurological deficit degrees, and daily living ability.