TY - JOUR
T1 - Acupuncture for spasticity after stroke
T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
AU - Lim, Sung Min
AU - Yoo, Junghee
AU - Lee, Euiju
AU - Kim, Hyun Jung
AU - Shin, Seungwon
AU - Han, Gajin
AU - Ahn, Hyeong Sik
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Sung Min Lim et al.
PY - 2015/1/5
Y1 - 2015/1/5
N2 - The aim of this systematic review was to determine how effective acupuncture or electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation) is in treating poststroke patients with spasticity. We searched publications in Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library in English, 19 accredited journals in Korean, and the China Integrated Knowledge Resources Database in Chinese through to July 30, 2013. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with no language restrictions that compared the effects of acupuncture or electroacupuncture with usual care or placebo acupuncture. The two investigators assessed the risk of bias and statistical analyses were performed. Three RCTs in English, 1 in Korean, and 1 in Chinese were included. Assessments were performed primarily with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture or electroacupuncture significantly decreased spasticity after stroke. A subgroup analysis showed that acupuncture significantly decreased wrist, knee, and elbow spasticity in poststroke patients. Heterogeneity could be explained by the differences in control, acupoints, and the duration after stroke occurrence. In conclusion, acupuncture could be effective in decreasing spasticity after stroke, but long-term studies are needed to determine the longevity of treatment effects.
AB - The aim of this systematic review was to determine how effective acupuncture or electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation) is in treating poststroke patients with spasticity. We searched publications in Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library in English, 19 accredited journals in Korean, and the China Integrated Knowledge Resources Database in Chinese through to July 30, 2013. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with no language restrictions that compared the effects of acupuncture or electroacupuncture with usual care or placebo acupuncture. The two investigators assessed the risk of bias and statistical analyses were performed. Three RCTs in English, 1 in Korean, and 1 in Chinese were included. Assessments were performed primarily with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture or electroacupuncture significantly decreased spasticity after stroke. A subgroup analysis showed that acupuncture significantly decreased wrist, knee, and elbow spasticity in poststroke patients. Heterogeneity could be explained by the differences in control, acupoints, and the duration after stroke occurrence. In conclusion, acupuncture could be effective in decreasing spasticity after stroke, but long-term studies are needed to determine the longevity of treatment effects.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84921369352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1155/2015/870398
DO - 10.1155/2015/870398
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84921369352
SN - 1741-427X
VL - 2015
JO - Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
JF - Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
M1 - 870398
ER -