Effect of Abdominal Acupuncture on the Motor Function of Upper Extremity in the Patients with Post-stroke Hemiplegia

Objective To explore the effect of abdominal acupuncture on the motor function of upper extremity in the patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, for providing a more reasonable and effective treatment. Method Sixty eligible patients were randomized into a treatment group(n=30) and a control group(n=30). The treatment group was intervened by abdominal acupuncture in addition to the ordinary acupuncture treatment, while the control group was only by the ordinary acupuncture treatment, 4 weeks as a treatment course. The motor function of upper extremity was evaluated before and after treatment. Result After treatment, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment(FMA) score of the upper extremity was enhanced significantly in both groups(P 0.01); after treatment, the inter-group comparison of the FMA score of the upper extremity showed a significant difference(P0.01), indicating that the treatment group is superior to the control group. Conclusion The two acupuncture treatment protocols, single ordinary acupuncture and abdominal acupuncture plus ordinary acupuncture, both can improve the motor function of the upper extremity, but the integrated acupuncture protocol can achieve a better therapeutic efficacy.