OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points on upper limb motor dysfunction in patients after stroke. METHODS: A total of 62 patients with upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke were randomly assigned to an observation group (n=31, 3 cases dropped out) and a control group (n=31, 2 cases dropped out). Both groups received routine medical treatment and rehabilitation training. The control group was treated with conventional acupuncture at the affected side's Jianyu (LI15), Quchi (LI11), Shousanli (LI10), Huantiao (GB30), Yanglingquan (GB34), and Zusanli (ST36) etc. On this basis, the observation group received additional acupuncture at the affected side's Jiaji points from C₄ to T₅. Treatment was administered once daily, five times a week, for four weeks. Motor evoked potential (MEP) latency and amplitude of the abductor pollicis brevis and abductor digiti minimi, Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE), and Wolf motor function test (WMFT) scores were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups showed increased MEP amplitudes and decreased latencies of the abductor pollicis brevis and abductor digiti minimi (P<0.05), as well as increased FMA-UE and WMFT scores (P<0.05); the observation group had greater MEP amplitudes, shorter latencies, and higher FMA-UE and WMFT scores compared to the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points could enhance the excitability of upper limb motor neural pathways in upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke patients, thereby promoting motor function recovery of the upper limb.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Stroke/complications* ; Upper Extremity/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Adult ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To study Joint Mobilization on shoulder pain after stroke. Methods Hemiplegic patients with shoulder pain after stroke were treated with joint mobilization. The effects were determined by the simple McGill Questionnaires and Fugal-Meyer upper extremity functional score before and 30 days after treatment.Results The pain scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.01), the upper extremity functional scores of the treatment group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01).Conclusion Joint mobilization for hemiplegic patients with shoulder pain after stroke can significantly reduce shoulder pain and effectively improve upper extremity function.