Post Stroke Spasticity**
Acupuncture or EA significantly decreased spasticity after stroke; low quality evidence (Lim 2015 – SR & MA of 5 RCTs)(1)
Acupuncture improved passive resistance to stretching, degree of personal dependence and motor function; insufficient evidence; 6 high quality studies; 3 moderate quality (Rodriguez-Mansilla 2016 – SR of 9 RCTs or controlled studies)(2)
Post Stroke Rehabilitation*
Yang 2016 (Cochrane update)(have beneficial effects on improving dependency, global neurological deficiency, and some specific neurological impairments; insufficient evidence; low to very low– Cochrane update)(3)
References
1. Lim SM, Yoo J, Lee E, Kim HJ, Shin S, Han G, et al. Acupuncture for spasticity after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:870398.
2. Rodriguez-Mansilla J, Espejo-Antunez L, Bustamante-Lopez AI. [Effectiveness of acupuncture in spasticity of the post-stroke patient. Systematic review]. Aten Primaria. 2016 Apr;48(4):226-34.
3. Yang A, Wu HM, Tang JL, Xu L, Yang M, Liu GJ. Acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 26;8:Cd004131.