May is National Stroke Month, dedicated to raising awareness around the warning signs of strokes and the importance of a fast response when it comes to saving the victim’s brain cells. Strokes are one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, with recovery for victims being a long and difficult process, involving weeks or months of physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Research is essential to uncovering more ways to further assist stroke victims in their recovery and improve their quality of life post-stroke. Recent studies may even point to acupuncture as a potential treatment that, when used in conjunction with other therapies, may help stroke victims with some of their complications.
Acupuncture is widely accepted as a natural treatment for chronic pain and migraines, among other things. However, many of the studies done on acupuncture and stroke victim recovery have not had a sizable enough sample group or adequate quality to draw a concrete conclusion or cause-and-effect relationship between the two factors. That said, there have been several research reviews of previously published studies that show a few promising results.
In 2012, a review published in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Review suggests acupuncture may help reduce dysphagia—difficulty swallowing—which could help stroke victims who struggle to eat or drink. A systematic review published in Acupuncture in Medicine in 2015 found that acupuncture, when used in combination with rehabilitation, could offer more potential for recovery than just rehabilitation alone. Similarly, a 2017 review in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found electroacupuncture, used alongside traditional therapies, could help reduce involuntary muscle contractions in the arms and legs post-stroke.
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association acknowledge acupuncture as a valid complementary therapy for some problems experienced by stroke victims, like shoulder pain and dysphagia. Due to the lack of concrete correlation, they are unable to recommend it for regaining walking ability and motor function.
When performed by a trained, trusted professional, the risks surrounding acupuncture are low. Always talk to your doctor before incorporating a new treatment into your post-stroke recovery plan.
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