Programmed Flexor-extensor Alternating Electrical Acupiont Stimulation on Limb Functional Reconstruction After Stroke

Study on the Effect Mechanism of Programmed Flexor-extensor Alternating Electrical Acupiont Stimulation on Upper Limb Functional Reconstruction After Stroke: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trail

The purpose of this study is to study the effect mechanism of programmed flexor-extensor alternating electrical acupiont stimulation on upper limb functional reconstruction after stroke.

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all patients who meet the inclusion criteria, after signing the informed consent, will be randamized divided into two groups in a blind manner. The patients will undergo a 3-week treatment (6 days per week and 1 day for rest, a total of 18 days of treatment). Those in the control group are treated with conventional flexor-extensor alternating electrical acupiont stimulation, and in the treatment group, programmed stimulation will be adopted (30 minutes, once a day). Besides, data from healthy participants will be collected and processed for reference and control purposes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inclusion criteria for patients

  1. Meet the diagnostic criteria of stroke;
  2. Age: 35 ~75 years old, male and female;
  3. Course of disease: 2 weeks to 3 months after stroke, stable vital signs, basically normal cognitive function, can cooperate to complete the test;
  4. Manual muscle test (MMT) ≥2, modified Ashworth (MAS) of paralyzed upper limbs was graded Ⅰ~Ⅱ;
  5. BMI ≤28;
  6. No serious heart, lung, kidney and other functional damage and serious underlying diseases, no pain in the affected side of the upper limb joint;
  7. The informed consent was signed by the patient and/or his/her family members. Note: Patients who meet the above 7 criteria can be included in this study.

• Inclusion criteria for healthy subjects:

  1. Those who have been proved to be healthy by physical examination and have no organic lesions or obvious functional diseases;
  2. Age: 35 ~75 years old, male and female;
  3. No cold, fever, cough, headache and other physical abnormalities during the test;
  4. Did not take any excitatory drugs in the past one month, no recent treatment related to experimental content;
  5. No history of mental or nervous system;
  6. The subject agrees and signs the informed consent.

• Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe cognitive dysfunction, severe aphasia, can not cooperate with the whole treatment or testing process;
  2. Patients with serious primary diseases such as heart, lung, kidney, liver and endocrine system;
  3. Neurological or musculoskeletal diseases affecting functional recovery before onset;
  4. Cerebral stem stroke or bilateral stroke;
  5. Patients with severe anxiety, depression, affective disorders, schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders;
  6. Examination confirmed by brain tumor, brain trauma, brain parasitic diseases, metabolic disorders, rheumatic heart disease, coronary heart disease and other heart disease with atrial fibrillation caused by cerebral embolism;
  7. Patients with skin damage, infection or deformity at the treatment site.