Clinical Study on the Combined Therapy of Sinew Acupuncture and Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain.

OBJECTIVE

To observe the clinical efficacy of combining sinew acupuncture with low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treating hemiplegic shoulder pain.

METHODS

A total of 90 patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain were randomly divided into three groups: the sinew acupuncture group, the rTMS group, and the combined group (30 patients each). All received conventional symptomatic medication and routine interventions. The sinew acupuncture group received subcutaneous shallow needling on the affected side; the rTMS group received 1 Hz rTMS stimulation on the contralateral M1 area of the cerebral cortex; and the combined group underwent both treatments. Pain severity, upper limb mobility, and activities of daily living were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of Upper Extremity, and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after 4 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS

After treatment, all groups demonstrated substantial improvements in VAS, FMA, and MBI scores compared with baseline (p < 0.05). The combined therapy group exhibited superior improvements in pain reduction, upper limb function, and activities of daily living compared with the other two groups (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Both sinew acupuncture and 1 Hz rTMS are effective in treating hemiplegic shoulder pain when used independently. Their combined application substantially reduces pain and enhances shoulder function and activities of daily living in patients, representing a valuable clinical approach.