Clinical observation of electroacupuncture and rehabilitation training in treating cerebral infarction

Objective  To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture andrehabilitation exercises in the treatment of cerebral infarction. Methods  Seventy-four patients with cerebral infarction were randomized into treatment group and control group in visit sequence. Thirty-seven cases in treatment group were treated with electroacupuncture and rehabilitation exercises, and other 37 cases in control group were treated with electro-acupuncture alone. The treatment was given once a day and there was a 2-day interval after any consecutive 5 treatments. After total 30 treatments, Fugl-Meyer scale was used to evaluate motor function and Barthel Index to evaluate the activities of daily living. Results  After treatments, the motor function of paralyzed limb and activities of daily living were obviously improved in both groups, with more significant improvement in treatment group than in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion  Combination of electroacupuncture and rehabilitation exercises has better effects than simple electroacupuncture in the treatment of cerebral infarction. Author: XIE Kun (1971–), male, attending physician