Acupuncture effectively manages a range of post-spinal cord injury complications, including motor and sensory dysfunction, pain, neurogenic bowel and bladder, pressure ulcers, spasticity, and osteoporosis.
The effect of acupuncture on post-spinal cord injury orthostatic hypotension and sexual dysfunction remains unclear.
Decreased oxidative stress, inhibition of inflammation and neuronal apoptosis, regulation of the expression and activity of endogenous biological mediators, and increased regenerative stem cell production are the possible mechanisms of acupuncture therapy for spinal cord injury.
Although many limitations have been reported in previous studies, given the evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture, we recommend that physicians should support the use of acupuncture therapy for SCI complications.
