Acupuncture of fascia points to relieve hand spasm after stroke: a study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background: The loss of life ability of patients after stroke is mostly caused by the dysfunction of upper limbs, especially hands. Hand functional exercise is the premise of alleviating hand dysfunction, and the relief of hand spasm is the basis of timely and effective hand functional exercise. Previous clinical observation showed that fascial point needling could effectively alleviate hand spasm immediately after stroke, but further evidence from large sample studies is needed. The overall objective of this trial is to further evaluate the clinical efficacy of fascial point acupuncture on hand spasm after stroke. Methods/design: This multicenter randomized controlled trial will compare the efficacy of fascial point acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and routine rehabilitation therapy in stroke patients with hand spasm. Patients will be randomized to undergo either the fascial point acupuncture or the sham acupuncture or the control (routine rehabilitation therapy). We will recruit 210 stroke inpatients who meet the trial criteria and observe the remission of hand spasm and improvement of limb function after 4 weeks of intervention. The first evaluation indexes are the remission of hand spasm and the duration of spasm remission. The second evaluation indexes are the hand function of affected limbs and the ability of daily living. When the accumulative total number of cases included reaches 120, a mid-term analysis will be conducted to determine any evidence that experimental intervention does have an advantage. Discussion: Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy of fascial point acupuncture in relieving hand spasm after stroke. The results will provide more evidences for the clinical application of this therapy in the future. Trial registration: The trial has been registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry（ChiCTR）on April 9, 2019. Registration number: ChiCTR1900022379 Keywords: Fascia points, Acupuncture, Spasm, Stroke