Effects of dry needling plus exercise therapy on post-stroke spasticity and motor function: A case report.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

The use of dry needling (DN) with other treatments may be more beneficial in managing post-stroke spasticity. We report the effects of DN plus exercise therapy (ET) on wrist flexor spasticity.

PATIENT PRESENTATION:

The patient was a 45-year-old man with an 8-year history of stroke. The outcome measures included the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS), Hmax/Mmax ratio, H-reflex latency, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), and range of motion (ROM) which were assessed before (T1), after (T2), and after 3-week follow-up (T3).

CONCLUSION:

The MMAS was improved at T2 from "3" to "2". The Hmax/Mmax decreased from 0.77 to 0.53 at T3. The H-reflex latency increased from 15.4 ms to 18.5 ms at T3. The wrist active and passive ROM increased ∼30° and ∼20° at T2, respectively. A 4-session DN plus ET may improve spasticity and ROM. No meaningful improvement was observed in function.

• Authors: Seyedeh Saeideh Babazadeh-Zavieh, Noureddin Nakhostin Ansari, Nastaran Ghotbi, Soofia Naghdi, Korosh Mansouri, Mohammadreza Khanmohammadi, Seyed Mohammad Jafar Haeri
• Journal: Complementary therapies in clinical practice (Complement Ther Clin Pract) Vol. 46 Pg. 101520 (Feb 2022) ISSN: 1873-6947 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 34875580 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Topics

• Dry Needling
• Exercise Therapy
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Muscle Spasticity (etiology, therapy)
• Muscle, Skeletal
• Stroke (complications, therapy)
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Treatment Outcome