[Clinical observation on hemiplegia early rehabilitation effects of different acupuncture programs].

OBJECTIVE: To observe early rehabilitation of two different acupuncture programs for hemiplegia due to stroke. METHODS: Seventy cases of early hemiplegia due to stroke were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group were treated by acupuncture at acupoints of both the healthy and affected sides, twice each day, respectively, and the control group by acupuncture at the affected side, once daily. Their therapeutic effects were evaluated by the brief Fugl-Meyer movement scale and the modified Barthel indexes. RESULTS: The patients with over grade IV for FMA accounted for 68.6% and the good rate for ADL was 74.3% in the treatment group, and 31.4% and 42.8% in the control group, respectively, the therapeutic effect of the treatment group being better than that of the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The acupuncture program in which acupoints at both the healthy and affected sides are applied alternately is more beneficial to recovery of motor function and activity daily living (ADL) of the patient with hemiplegia due to stroke.