Observations on the Efficacy of Superficial Needling plus Rod Exercise in Treating Post-stroke Shoulder Pain

Objective To investigate clinical efficacy of superficial needling plus rod exercise in treating post-stroke shoulder pain.Method Sixty-four patients with post-stroke shoulder pain(VAS score≥4) were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups,32 cases each.The treatment group received rod exercise training in addition to superficial needling and the control group,rod exercise training alone.The severity of shoulder pain(VAS score),the range of active shoulder joint activities and upper limb motory function were assessed as rehabilitation indices in the two groups before and at 60 days after treatment.Result There were no statistically significant pre-treatment difference in various indices between the two groups(P0.05).At 60 days after treatment,the shoulder pain severity score,the range of active shoulder joint activities and the upper limb motory function score improved significantly more in the treatment group than in the control group(P0.01).Conclusion Superficial needling plus rod exercise training plays an active role in relieving post-stroke shoulder pain.