Acupuncture after a stroke: does it help, how is treatment carried out?

Author of the article: Marina Dmitrievna

2017.11.05

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Vessels

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels lead to dangerous changes in the body, which result in insufficient blood flow to the brain. When the phenomenon becomes acute, a person suffers a stroke. This pathology is caused by two reasons. The first is associated with blockage or narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels involved in cerebral circulation and is called ischemic stroke. The second type - hemorrhagic - is confirmed in the patient if there is a hemorrhage in the brain or its membrane.

With any of them, pronounced changes occur in the physical condition of the patient - motor and speech functions are limited, the state of the nervous system changes, which requires treatment and long-term rehabilitation. One of the effective rehabilitation methods is physiotherapy for stroke.

Indications for acupuncture for stroke

There are two types of stroke:

vascular ischemia - narrowing of the walls, deterioration of blood flow to the nervous tissue;
rupture of a vessel, as a result of which blood flows into the brain area.

The second type is unfavorable. Patients lose some of the functions of the right or left area of the body. Complete paralysis and death of the patient are possible. Acupuncture (acupuncture) for this type of stroke only alleviates a person’s suffering and eliminates pain.

With vascular ischemia, there is a decrease in the supply of oxygen to nerve tissues. Acupuncture will help restore part of the function of the human body, its ability to work, and eliminate pain.

Indications for acupuncture for stroke:

lack of function of the right and left parts of the body;
decreased muscle mobility;
paralysis;
muscle and joint pain;
neurological disorders;
loss of speech;
clouding of consciousness;
increased blood pressure;
convulsions;
memory loss;
coma.

Before carrying out the procedures, the attending physician finds out which area of the brain is affected. Identifies all deviations in a person’s health, only after that medications, physiotherapy, and acupuncture are prescribed.

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When rehabilitation works

Patients who have suffered a stroke require comprehensive treatment and medical rehabilitation. Their effectiveness depends on a combination of several factors:

prompt hospitalization of the patient after the appearance of the first symptoms;
early appointment and accurate implementation of all recommended procedures;
use of therapeutic measures in combination;
sequential transition from one stage of restoration actions to others.

Treatment aimed at restoring lost body functions begins during the patient’s hospitalization and is carried out on an outpatient basis after discharge from the hospital.

Many patients are prescribed rehabilitation treatment in sanatorium-type institutions. Each patient is prescribed medications and undergoes physical therapy.

Mechanism of stroke development

Contraindications

Acupuncture is not always done; there are contraindications for it:

viral and infectious diseases in the acute stage;
Infection with tuberculosis;
underweight;
diseases of the cardiovascular system (thrombosis, heart failure);
kidney disease (pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, renal failure);
children under 1 year;
patients suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.

If acupuncture is performed after a stroke with a contraindication, the patient’s condition will worsen. The chronic disease will progress, this will harm the person even more.

If a woman is pregnant, acupuncture is not always performed. In the first trimester it is allowed, in the second it is carried out only under strict indications. In the third trimester, acupuncture is not recommended.

Features of using the technique after stroke

The use of acupuncture in the first hours after a stroke is extremely rare, despite the theoretical validity of the approach. This is due to the low popularity of the technique and the lack of official conclusions on the clinical indicators of the referral. Most often, sessions are used in the early and late recovery periods. The degree of effectiveness of therapy directly depends on the correct diagnosis and identification of the lesion.

There are several dozen main acupuncture points on the human body alone. If you influence some of them at random, the probability of a positive outcome of therapy tends to zero. Irritation of all biologically active centers at once is fraught with aggravation of an already serious condition. That is why it is so important to seek such help from medical professionals, and not from specialists from health and relaxation salons.

Carrying out acupuncture during rehabilitation after a stroke increases the patient’s chances of recovery and return to normal life. The approach is not capable of working miracles, but it can give the body the push it needs and enhance the effect of other specialized techniques. The sooner work begins with a victim of stroke, the more pronounced the effect of therapy will be.

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Reflexogenic points

Reflexogenic points are areas of the human body, when exposed to which the activity of organs is stimulated. They are pressed during massage or needles intended for acupuncture are inserted. Impact on reflexogenic points leads to increased energy flow in the body. Positive influences on the patient are formed:

acceleration of blood flow through the vessels, which improves nutrition of tissues and organs;
stimulation of nerve receptors that accelerate the conduction of nerve impulses;
brain stimulation;
increased metabolism, increased regeneration (renewal of cellular composition) of damaged tissues;
analgesic effect;
restoration of sensitivity in the affected areas of the human body, return of muscle mobility;
restoration of lost hearing, vision, speech.

Only the doctor knows the location of the points, so applying pressure or piercing these areas on your own is prohibited. This will worsen the health of the victim after a stroke.

The effectiveness of acupuncture

How effective is this procedure and is there information about effectiveness studies? Similar information is available - foreign sources indicate that numerous studies have been conducted both in Asian countries, where such therapy is very common, and in Scandinavian countries. The lack of information from Western scientists and doctors is due, to a large extent, to the need for large amounts of funding to conduct research. Also, the key point of the lack of a clear opinion on the part of world experts in the field of rehabilitation is not so much bias and reluctance to use acupuncture, but the inconsistency of published research with health standards in the United States and Canada.

Doctors from the US National Library of Medicine share a similar opinion. The article cited indicates that a number of clinical studies have shown regulation of the release of neurochemical processes, improvement of cerebral microcirculation, as well as activation of neural connections in the brain. Animal studies have determined that acupuncture reduces the post-ischemic inflammatory response and also has beneficial effects on neural plasticity. From this we can conclude that at the moment acupuncture is a very promising area of treatment for the consequences of stroke, and can also be used as a promising therapeutic and preventive strategy in diseases of the brain.

Acupuncture technique for stroke

For a patient after a stroke, the doctor diagnoses the condition of his body:

identification of affected and healthy areas using palpation (palpation);
detection of points on which the doctor will act.

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For acupuncture, long needles are used that are previously sterilized. They have a thin base but great strength. Because of this feature, a person does not feel pain during insertion. To have the maximum effect, the doctor rotates the needle and inserts it deeply.

If the doctor performed the technique correctly, the patient’s muscles relax and he falls asleep. To achieve the maximum effect, several courses of therapy are required, each of which is 15-20 sessions. They are carried out daily so that the patient recovers.

Side effects

With ghost acupuncture, side effects may occur.

Damage to blood vessels, which causes bleeding that forms bruises on the surface of the skin.
Damage to deep vessels that form hemorrhage into the interstitial space or internal organs.
Pain when inserting a needle. Rarely occurs unless the doctor is qualified.
If the needle was not sterile, the patient may become infected with infections and viruses. There is an increased risk of HIV transmission.
Damage to nerve tissue, tendons, and internal organs. The effect is formed when a needle is inserted into the deep tissues of the human body.
Malignancy of the tumor if the needle damages its tissue.
Deterioration in a person’s well-being: headache, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood pressure leading to fainting.

If reflexology procedures are performed by a competent doctor, the risk of side effects is minimal. Therefore, you should choose only a specialist with extensive experience who can tell you whether acupuncture helps after a stroke.

Acupuncture is a method of influencing the human body, as a result of which its well-being improves. The procedures should be performed only by a competent doctor who will not worsen the patient’s well-being. Acupuncture for stroke helps restore the affected tissues, speech, and hearing of the patient. It is important to remember that the method has contraindications.

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How is the treatment carried out?

Before starting acupuncture, the specialist diagnoses the activity of the so-called meridians of the body. For this purpose, palpation of healthy and affected parts of the body and pulse examination are used. Using special techniques, the reflexologist determines the points on which it is advisable to influence.

Using special hollow tubes, long sterilized needles are placed on the skin. Due to the fact that they are very thin and durable, such insertion usually does not cause pain. To enhance the impact during installation, the needles can be rotated, and the master can press on them for deeper insertion.

What is this

This long-standing method is used for therapy as follows:

There are special biological points on the patient's body. Impact on them allows you to eliminate certain negative manifestations or disorders.
When performing the procedure, the master places needles on identified points, thereby influencing the desired areas of the body.

But even taking into account that acupuncture is used in different countries as a means to treat pathologies, its use is only auxiliary. This is true in the presence of serious illnesses.

Important! Using acupuncture alone to eliminate a stroke will not achieve the desired result.

The doctor must refer the patient to physical therapy and drug treatment to reduce the likelihood of death.

The procedure takes about 30 minutes and disposable sterile needles are used during its implementation. The patient, based on the selected points for manipulation, should be in a sitting or lying position. Before starting the procedure, the skin is treated with antiseptic solutions. The needles themselves must be inserted at the desired angle and to a certain depth. Typically, this procedure causes painful sensations, which are especially noticeable in the first sessions.

When acupuncture is carried out correctly, the result appears after several sessions.

Thus, the following changes occur:

improvement of immunity;
increasing the activity of the body's production of hormones;
normalization of metabolic processes;
elimination of pain, swelling, inflammation;
improvement of metabolism and blood supply.

There are also a number of negative side effects characteristic of this treatment method:

The appearance of pain of varying intensity, as well as bleeding.
It is possible to become infected with hepatitis, AIDS or other infections if the doctor uses reusable needles that are poorly disinfected.
Unskilled acupuncture can result in damage to blood vessels, nerves or tendons.
A large amount of trauma in the body from needles can contribute to the development of tumors.
Blood pressure levels decrease.

In the process of irritation of the active point with a needle, a stream of impulses arises, which intensively spread through nerve fibers and enter the brain cells. Such an effect additionally leads to the body’s production of transmitter hormones that have morphine-like effects, and also stimulates reticular morphia of the brain. This department is responsible for the state of wakefulness, as well as motor activity.

Due to this, many effects are observed at once:

The level of blood circulation and metabolism in the affected parts of the brain increases.
The process of restoration of motor function and conduction of muscles, as well as nerves, is accelerated.
Sensitivity to tissues returns, and speech function is normalized.
Pain sensations are eliminated.
The clarity of vision and hearing is stabilized.
The general condition of the patient and his mood improves.

However, it is important to understand that the effect of acupuncture only allows you to start the body’s self-recovery processes. Its use has a limited effect; it is not recommended to be used as an independent method of therapy. To achieve the proper treatment result, this ancient method is combined with massage, physiotherapeutic procedures, special exercises, and also taking a number of medications.