A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, which means oxygen cannot be supplied to the brain and cells start to die.
Blood supply can be disrupted by a clot or plaque, or the artery can simply break or burst open. Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and kills more women that breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer. More than half of stroke survivors are left with a disability, impeding their ability to carry out daily tasks unassisted (1).
A recent analysis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture in post stroke treatment. Results suggested it was beneficial for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) in two different tests in comparison to medication or rehabilitation training. Treatment with acupuncture also saw improvement with muscle tone and neurological deficit score (2).
Acupuncture treatment alone or along side medication or rehabilitation has also been seen to be beneficial with post-stroke shoulder pain, insomnia and spasticity (3).
If you would like more information or would like to book in for a consultation with one of our qualified Acupuncturist, please call us on 5531 6461.
References:
- Facts and figures about stroke — Stroke Foundation – Australia. (2017). Strokefoundation.org.au. Retrieved from https://strokefoundation.org.au/About-Stroke/Facts-and-figures-about-stroke
- Zhang JH, e. (2017). Overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of acupuncture for stroke. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24356063
- McDonald J, Janz S. The Acupuncture Evidence Project: A Comparative Literature Review (Revised edition). Brisbane: Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association Ltd; 2017. http://www.acupuncture.org.au.
