[Post-stroke constipation treated with acupoint embedding therapy: a multi-center randomized controlled trial].

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Neurology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Post-stroke constipation is a common and debilitating complication affecting patient recovery and quality of life.
• Conventional treatments may have limited efficacy or side effects, necessitating alternative therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of acupoint embedding therapy for managing constipation in patients following a stroke.

Main Methods:

• A multi-center randomized controlled trial involving 210 patients with post-stroke constipation.
• Comparison between an acupoint embedding group and a sham-embedding control group over 8 weeks.
• Outcomes assessed included complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs), spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs), Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL), and defecation difficulty scores.

Main Results:

• The acupoint embedding group showed a significantly higher percentage of patients achieving ≥3 weekly CSBMs (91.1% vs 43.4%).
• Both groups improved in SBMs, BSFS, PAC-QOL, and defecation difficulty post-treatment, but the acupoint embedding group demonstrated superior improvements.
• Statistically significant differences (P<0.05) favored acupoint embedding for increased SBMs and BSFS, and decreased PAC-QOL and defecation difficulty scores.

Conclusions:

• Acupoint embedding therapy is an effective treatment for post-stroke constipation.
• The therapy significantly enhances spontaneous bowel movements, improves stool consistency, alleviates defecation difficulty, and improves the quality of life in affected patients.