A large multicentre RCT from China has found that acupuncture plus conventional care was similar in effectiveness to physiotherapy treatment plus conventional care for post-stroke rehabilitation. The research involved a total of 310 patients randomly divided into three groups. All received conventional care as needed, including psychological counseling, standard nursing care and daily medical evaluation. In addition, they received either acupuncture, physiotherapy, or acupuncture plus physiotherapy, once a day, six days a week for four weeks. Compared to baseline, participants in all groups improved their scores in physical performance, daily functioning and neurological deficit by the end of week two, and by the end of week four these scores had improved further. The study found no statistically significant differences in outcomes between the three groups after treatment, suggesting that acupuncture and physiotherapy were equally effective as adjunctive treatments and that the combination of acupuncture and physiotherapy, in addition to conventional treatment, did not result in synergistic effects. (An effectiveness study comparing acupuncture, physiotherapy, and their combination in poststroke rehabilitation: a multicentered, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Altern Ther Health Med. 2012 May-Jun;18(3):8-14).
Categories: Stroke
