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Related Experiment Videos

Needle acupuncture in chronic poststroke leg spasticity.

Matthias Fink1, Jens D Rollnik, Michaela Bijak

  • 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical School of Hannover, Germany.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|April 15, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Needle acupuncture did not reduce chronic leg spasticity in stroke patients. However, it did increase spinal motoneuron excitability, suggesting specific neurophysiologic effects at the spinal level.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Rehabilitation Medicine
  • Integrative Medicine

Background:

  • Chronic poststroke leg spasticity is a common and debilitating condition.
  • Spasticity can lead to significant functional impairments, pain, and reduced quality of life.
  • Exploring novel therapeutic interventions for spasticity management is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of needle acupuncture in reducing chronic leg spasticity in poststroke patients.
  • To assess the impact of acupuncture on spasticity, pain, and walking ability.
  • To explore potential neurophysiologic mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effects.

Main Methods:

  • A single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted.
  • Twenty-five patients with chronic poststroke leg spasticity were enrolled.

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  • Participants received either verum (real) acupuncture or placebo acupuncture for 4 weeks.

    • Main Results:

    • No significant clinical benefit in reducing leg spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale scores) was observed with verum acupuncture compared to placebo.
    • Verum acupuncture led to a significant increase in spinal motoneuron excitability, as indicated by the H-reflex.
    • No significant differences were found in pain or walking speed between groups.

    Conclusions:

    • Needle acupuncture does not appear to be clinically effective for reducing chronic poststroke leg spasticity.
    • Neurophysiologic evidence suggests specific acupuncture effects on spinal reflex mechanisms.
    • Further research may explore the role of acupuncture in modulating spinal excitability.