Insights & Discussion
Acupuncture may be effective for treating poststroke neurological impairment and dysfunction such as dysphagia.
The current evidence suggests that acupuncture is not effective for death or dependency/disability. However, acupuncture may be effective for treating poststroke neurological impairment and dysfunction, particularly poststroke dysphagia, although these findings require verification in rigorous RCTs. Future studies should place more emphasis on the efficacy of acupuncture for treating poststroke neurological impairment and dysfunction and on the development of more precise tools for assessing these outcomes.
Discover Related Insights
Acupuncture, when combined with other treatments, is an effective therapy for treating swallowing difficulties experienced after a stroke.
2021 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine The Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Dysphagia after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Zhong, L., Wang, J., Li, F., et al.
Systematic Review Dysphagia Stroke Rehabilitation
In the methodology used for this study, the researchers examined various English and Chinese databases up to March 2020, focusing on randomized controlled trials that used acupuncture or combined acupuncture with other treatments to help stroke patients with dysphagia. Two authors independently assessed and extracted the data. For quality control, the bias risk assessment tool recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration was used to assess each selected study. The researchers then conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3 software and calculated pooled analyses by the mean difference.
Results showed that when compared to a control group, patients who underwent acupuncture combined with other treatments experienced an improvement in their ability to swallow as measured by different scales and tests. No serious adverse effects were reported in the studies, indicating that acupuncture is not only effective but also safe as a treatment method for dysphagia following stroke.