The disability of post-stroke patients is one of the most important problems of the modern medical community requiring the improvement of existing rehabilitation technologies through the wider use of non-drug treatment methods among which the most accessible are various modifications of reflexotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of the combined reflexology technique, including the combined use of classical acupuncture, su-jok and cranial acupuncture in the early rehabilitation of patients after ischemic stroke.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Examination and course of early neurorehabilitation were carried out in 80 patients aged 47—78 years. Effectiveness evaluation of the different methods of reflexotherapy was carried out in 4 groups (20 patients each) comparable by age, gender and severity of stroke. In the main group the basic rehabilitation complex was supplemented by the combined use of classical, cranial acupuncture (with symmetrical stimulation of 7 main zones) and su-jok. Patients of the 1st comparison group additionally underwent only su-jok-therapy, the 2nd group — corporal acupuncture procedures in combination with cranial acupuncture, the 3rd group — the basic complex of rehabilitation without the inclusion of reflexotherapy.
RESULTS
After 2 weeks’ treatment in patients of the main group the regression of neurological symptoms according to the NIHSS scale was 5.3 points on average (76%, p<0.001) and the Bartel index increased by 29.8 points (44.9%, p<0.001). An improvement in the psycho-emotional state appeared by decreased depression level on the Beck scale by 6.9 points on average (42%, p<0.05) and reactive anxiety by 12 points (35.7%, p<0.05). The indicators’ improvement in the first two comparison groups was also significant across all scales but less pronounced than in the main group. The lowest values of the studied indicators were obtained in the 3rd comparison group.
CONCLUSION
Improvement of neurorehabilitation technologies using combined techniques of reflexotherapy in the acute period of ischemic stroke is characterized by high clinical effectiveness that contributing to the regression of neurological symptoms and improvement of the psycho-emotional status of post-stroke patients which has a beneficial effect on their adaptation to the daily life.
