Clinical Efficacy of Shao's Five-Needle Methods Combined with Speech Rehabilitation Training on Patients with Post-Stroke Motor Aphasia

OBJECTIVE  To explore the clinical efficacy of Shao's five-needle methods combined with speech rehabilitation training in the treatment of post-stroke motor aphasia and its possible mechanism of action.METHODS  A total of 100 patients with post-stroke motor aphasia who were hospitalized in the rehabilitation department of Henan Province Hospital of TCM from September 2017 to June 2019 were selected and divided into observation group and control group by random number table. Both groups were given the same conventional medical treatment and speech rehabilitation training, while the observation group was treated with an extra Shao's five-needle method. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated at the end of the total treatment course, and the adverse reactions during the treatment were recorded. The aphasia test and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were used before and after treatment. The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels were measured by ELISA, and the mean velocity (V_m) of the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries were measured by transcranial doppler sonography.RESULTS  After treatment, the total effective rate in the observation group, which was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). Besides, comprehension, repetition, naming and spontaneous talk scores were significantly increased in both groups (P < 0.01), but the increase was more significant in the observation group (P < 0.01). The NIHSS scores were significantly decreased in the observation group than in the control group during the same period after 1 and 2 sessions of the treatment (P < 0.01). In addition, serum concentration of CGRP was significantly increased (P < 0.01) and ET-1 at serum level was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in both groups, and the results in the observation group were better than the control group (P < 0.01). V_m of anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries was significantly accelerated in the 2 groups (P < 0.01), and the improvement was more significant in the observation group (P < 0.01). In the end of treatment, no significant side effects were observed in all subjects.CONCLUSION  Shao's five-needle method combined with speech rehabilitation training can safely and effectively improve linguistic function and neurological function in patients with post-stroke motor aphasia, and its mechanism of action may be related to the upregulation of serum CGRP, downregulation of serum ET-1 and improvement of cerebral blood flow.