Motor aphasia can be treated with acupuncture therapy
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Acupuncture in conjunction with practical training with a speech therapist can optimize speech abilities, thus improving the socialization of post-stroke patients with motor aphasia.
The research work on this topic was conducted by the staff of the North China University Tianjin Hospital.
Speech of patients suffering from motor aphasia, is difficult to understand: post-stroke patients incorrectly put words into sentences, miss necessary word compounds, and do not adhere to speech logic. Acupuncture has been recommended as an additional method of treatment for such patients, but its feasibility and effectiveness have not yet been proven. Now representatives of Tianjin University have evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture on speech abilities, neurological mechanisms and socialization of post-stroke patients suffering from motor aphasia.
The study involved more than two and a half hundred patients in the age range of 45-75 years. The participants were selected among those who underwent a month and a half of treatment in Chinese hospitals from October 2019 through November 2021. Participants were divided into two equal-sized groups. One group was offered a course of chiropractic acupuncture, and the other group was offered a course of sham reflexology (placebo). All participants received three dozen sessions over a month and a half (five treatments weekly, thirty minute sessions). Speech therapy practices and traditional therapies were used at the same time. At the end, the specialists evaluated the results, including the Speech Impairment Quotient score, WAB and CFCP.
As a result, the researchers determined: compared to sham reflexology, patients who underwent manual acupuncture had significantly increased aphasia quotient (by almost 8 points) and functional communication profile value (by more than 23 points). Such indicators were noted during the six-month follow-up.
In general, the experiment allowed us to understand that optimization of speech abilities, improvement of neurological parameters and cognitive functions can occur due to the use of acupuncture connected to general therapeutic measures and speech therapy. The effect of such a combination is maintained for 1.5-6 months after stroke.
What exactly is the effect of reflexology? It improves microcirculation in the tissues of the body, normalizes arterial and venous pressure, strengthens local immunity, helps to counteract pathological processes, has an antidepressant and calming effect. The average acupuncture procedure lasts about half an hour, and a noticeable effect is found after 5-10 such procedures. Of particular importance is the patient's mood, as well as comfort during the session: the absence of sound stimuli, comfortable temperature, etc.
Full details of the study can be found on the publication's webpage at JAMA Network