Effect of Electrical Acupuncture on the Movement Functions of the Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction (ACI)

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on limb motor function in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). METHODS: Sixty patients with ACI admitted to our hospital from June 2009 to December 2011 were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, with 30 patients in each group. The control group received routine treatment including medication and early rehabilitation, while the treatment group received electroacupuncture once a day in addition to the routine treatment. One course of treatment lasted 20 days. At the end of the treatment course, the patients' motor function before and after treatment was assessed, and the median frequency (MF) and mean power frequency (MPF) of the major muscles obtained from the electromyographic signals of the healthy and affected lower limbs during active and passive movements were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: The Fugl-Meyer score of the lower limb in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The MPF values ​​of the rectus femoris and semitendinosus muscles in the treatment group during active and passive movements, and the MF values ​​of passive movements were significantly different from those before treatment and in the control group (P<0.05). In conclusion, electroacupuncture can affect the surface electromyographic signals of limb muscles and promote the recovery of motor function in patients with acute cerebral infarction.