Clinical observation on electroacupuncture for post-stroke flaccid paralysis

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in treating post-stroke flaccid paralysis. Methods: Forty patients with post-stroke flaccid paralysis were randomized by the random number table into a treatment group and a control group, 20 cases in each. The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture at Jiquan (HT 1), Tianquan (PC 2), Ququan (LR 8), Yinlingquan (SP 9), and Yongquan (KI 1), and the control group was treated by acupuncture with conventional acupoint selection. Barthel index (BI) was adopted for evaluating the activities of daily living (ADL), and therapeutic efficacy was analyzed. Results: The two groups both had marked increases of BI score after treatment. Compared to the control group after 1 treatment course and 2 treatment courses respectively, the treatment group had significant differences in BI score (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 100.0% in the treatment group versus 90.0% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Conclusion: EA at Jiquan (HT 1), Tianquan (PC 2), Ququan (LR 8), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Yongquan (KI 1) is an effective approach in treating post-stroke flaccid paralysis. © 2013 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.