Abstract

Objective: To observe the effect of combining Chinese medicine and tuina along the meridians on motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) in patient with post-stroke upper limb spasticity.

Methods: A total of 220 patients with post-stroke upper limb spasticity were randomly allocated into a treatment group (n=110) and a control group (n=110). Patients in the treatment group received tuina along the meridians combined with spasticity-alleviating and collateral-unblocking Chinese medicine, whereas patients in the control group received routine rehabilitation therapy. Patients in both groups were treated for 3 weeks. Then the patients’ motor function, ADL and muscle tone were evaluated before and after treatment using the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA), modified Barthel index (MBI) and modified Ashworth scale (MAS).

Results: After treatment, the FMA scores, MBI scores, and muscle (shoulder intortor, elbow flexors and wrist flexors) tones were significantly improved (P＜0.05), but the improvement was more significant in the treatment group than that in the control group (P＜0.05).

Conclusion: Tuina along the meridians combined with spasticity-alleviating and collateral-unblocking Chinese medicine can substantially alleviate muscle tone on the affected side and remarkably improve the patients’ motor function and ADL.