Abstract:
Objective To probe into the effect of acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation training on elderly patients with spastic hemiplegia after stroke and the influence of Ashworth, activities of daily living (ADL), and neurological deficit scale (NDS) scores. Methods From October 2018 to August 2020, 100 patients with spastic hemiplegia after stroke admitted to the First Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University were analysed retrospectively. According to the different treatment methods, they were divided into 40 cases in the acupuncture group, 30 cases in the massage group, and 30 cases in the rehabilitation group. The rehabilitation group was given only rehabilitation training, the acupuncture group was given rehabilitation training combined with acupuncture, and the massage group was given rehabilitation training combined with massage. The clinical effect and the changes in Ashworth score of upper and lower limbs, as well as the ADL and NDS scores before and after treatment, were compared. Results The total effective rate in the acupuncture group was 92.50% (37/40), which was higher than 63.33% (19/30) in the rehabilitation group (χ2=10.513, P < 0.05), but no significant difference existed between the rehabilitation group and the massage group (86.67%, 26/30), and between the massage and acupuncture groups (all P>0.05). Before treatment, no significant difference existed in Ashworth scores of upper and lower limbs and ADL and NDS scores amongst the three groups (F=0.062, 0.118, 0.025, 0.002, all P>0.05). Compared with before treatment, the Ashworth score and NDS score of upper and lower limbs in the three groups significantly decreased, ADL score significantly increased (all P < 0.05), and the rehabilitation, massage, and acupuncture groups were better in turn (F=16.303, 21.294, 18.291, 36.720, all P < 0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture and massage combined with rehabilitation training exert a better effect on spastic hemiplegia after stroke in the elderly. Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training have the best effect, effectively relieving limb spasm and improving the ability of daily life.