Effect of electroacupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on limb dysfunction in patients with ischemic stroke

Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on limb dysfunction in ischemic stroke patients. Methods A total of 63 stroke patients were divided into an observation group and a control group using the random number table method. Thirty-one patients in the control group were treated with routine Western medicine combined with rTMS; 32 patients in the observation group were treated with EA in addition to the intervention in the control group. The duration of treatment was 3 months. The National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), the modified Barthel index (MBI), and the motor evoked potential (MEP) latency of transcranial magnetic stimulation were observed before and after treatment in both groups. Results Two cases withdrew from the observation group and 1 case withdrew from the control group. After treatment, the NIHSS score in both groups was lower than that before treatment, the FMA and MBI scores were higher than those before treatment, and the latency period of MEP was shorter than that before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the NIHSS, FMA, and MBI scores and MEP latency period of the observation group improved more than those of the control group, and the differences between the groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion EA combined with rTMS can improve the motor function of limbs in ischemic stroke patients and improve their self-care ability. The mechanism may be related to increasing the excitability of the motor cortex and improving the electrophysiological function of the central nervous system.