Observations on the Efficacy of Acupuncture Plus Pricking-cupping Bloodletting in Treating Postapoplectic Shoulder-hand Syndrome

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus pricking-cupping bloodletting with simple acupuncture in treating postapoplectic shoulder-hand syndrome (limited to the patients in the first period). Methods Eighty patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to group A and group B, 40 cases each. Group A was treated with acupuncture plus pricking-cupping bloodletting and group B, with simple acupuncture. The therapeutic effects were evaluated after three courses of treatment. Results The degree of shoulder pain, the frequency of shoulder pain and the voluntary activity of the shoulder joint improved after treatment in both groups (P0.05, P0.01), but the effect was better in group A than in group B (P0.01). The cure rate and marked efficacy rate were 17.5% and 27.5%, respectively, in group A and 7.5% and 17.5%, respectively, in group B. The total efficacy rate was 92.5% in group A and 70.0% in group B. There was a statistically significant difference in the marked efficacy rate between the two groups (P0.05). Conclusion Both acupuncture plus pricking-cupping bloodletting and simple acupuncture have a marked therapeutic effect on postapoplectic shoulder-hand syndrome, but acupuncture plus pricking-cupping bloodletting has a better effect.