Therapeutic effect of acupuncture and massage for shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients:a clinical two-center randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and massage for shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients.METHODS:One hundred and twenty hemiplegia patients with stage I shoulder-hand syndrome were randomly divided into a group treated with standardized electric acupuncture and massage,and a group treated with rehabilitation therapy for 6 weeks.The primary indices evaluated were pain on passive movement of the shoulder using the numeric pain rating scale(NPRS),and the number of patients with shoulder-hand syndrome at Steinbrocker stage II or III after treatment.The secondary indices were Fugl-Meyer evaluation of functional movement of the upper limb and hand using the modified rankin scale(MRS).RESULTS:At post-treatment evaluation and a 12-week follow-up visit,NPRS score,number of patients with stage II or III shoulder-hand syndrome,and MRS score were all improved in the acupuncture-massage group compared with the rehabilitation group(P<0.05).On Fugl-Meyer evaluation,functional movement of the upper limb was also improved in the acupuncture-massage group compared with the rehabilitation group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Standardized acupuncture-massage therapy may have curative effects on shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia patients.