OBJECTIVETo observe the impacts on post-stroke spastic hemiplegia treated with temporal three-needle therapy, spastic three-needle therapy, and rehabilitative therapy as well as combined application.

METHODSOne hundred cases were randomized into a Jin's three-needle group (35 cases), a rehabilitation group (33 cases) and a combined therapy group (32 cases). Beside the basic treatment, the acupuncture therapy of temporal three-needle and spastic three-needle techniques, rehabilitation training, and the combined therapy of acupuncture and rehabilitation were applied in the Jin's three-needle group, the rehabilitation group and the combined therapy group, respectively. Before treatment, in 7 days and 14 days of treatment, the functional comprehensive assessment scale (FCA), clinical neurological defect score (NDS), four-limb simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) and clinical spasm index (CSI) were adopted to assess the spastic degree and limb function, respectively.

RESULTSIn terms of FCA, NDS and FMA, in 7 days of treatment, except the rehabilitation group, the results in the other two groups were all improved as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.05). The results in the Jin's three-needle group and the combined therapy group were better than those in the rehabilitation group (all P < 0.05). In 14 days of treatment, the results in the three groups were improved as compared with those before treatment and in 7 days of treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The results in the combined therapy group were better than those in the other two groups (all P < 0.05). Regarding CSI assessment, in 7 days of treatment, the results of the three groups were all improved significantly as compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the results in the combined therapy group were better than those in the other two groups (all P < 0.05). In 14 days of treatment, CSI scores were further improved in the three groups, but the difference was not significant in comparison (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe Jin's three-needle therapy, rehabilitation therapy and the combined application all relieve the symptoms of post-stroke spastic hemiplegia. The effect in the Jin's three-needle group and the combined therapy group is achieved in 7 days of treatment, which is better than that in the rehabilitation group. The combined therapy a chieves the best effect on spasm in comparison with the single therapy.