Investigating combined acupuncture and transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with poststroke shoulder pain from China: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether combining acupuncture with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) provides superior rehabilitation effects for poststroke shoulder pain compared to either treatment alone and to explore its central analgesic mechanism.
Results Summary
The study found that acupuncture has positive analgesic effects for poststroke shoulder pain, but the comparative efficacy of combined acupuncture and tDCS remains under investigation. Functional MRI will be used to explore central analgesic mechanisms.
Population
Poststroke patients with shoulder pain (n=135).
Effective Dosage
20 minutes of acupuncture, five times per week.
Duration
4 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
acupuncture | decrease | poststroke shoulder pain | patients with poststroke shoulder pain | - | has positive analgesic effects | #1 |
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) | decrease | poststroke shoulder pain | patients with poststroke shoulder pain | - | has efficacy in treating | #2 |
acupuncture combined with tDCS | decrease | poststroke shoulder pain | poststroke patients with shoulder pain | - | has a superior rehabilitation effect | #3 |
combined intervention (acupuncture plus tDCS) | neutral | poststroke shoulder pain | poststroke patients with shoulder pain | - | effect on | #4 |
combined intervention (acupuncture plus tDCS) | neutral | central analgesic mechanism | poststroke patients with shoulder pain | - | explore its possible central analgesic mechanism | #5 |
INTRODUCTION: Poststroke shoulder pain is a common complication that severely affects the recovery of upper limb motor function. Acupuncture has positive analgesic effects in treating poststroke shoulder pain, and studies have demonstrated the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in treating patients with this pain. However, whether acupuncture combined with tDCS has a superior rehabilitation effect on poststroke shoulder pain is currently unknown. We aimed to observe the effect of the combined intervention on poststroke shoulder pain and explore its possible central analgesic mechanism. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study describes a randomised controlled trial using assessor blinding. A total of 135 poststroke patients with shoulder pain will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to the tDCS group, acupuncture group and combined group (acupuncture plus tDCS). All three groups will undergo conventional rehabilitation treatment. Participants in the tDCS group will receive tDCS stimulation on the M1 area for 20 min, while the acupuncture group will receive 20 min of acupuncture. The combined treatment group will receive both. All treatments will be performed five times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome indicator in this study is the Visual Analogue Scale pain score. Secondary outcome indicators include shoulder mobility, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, Fugl-Meyer Motor Function Scale, Modified Barthel Index Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scale and functional MRI. All scale results will be assessed at baseline and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks, and during follow-up at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postdischarge. A repeated analysis of variance will be conducted to observe the group×time interaction effects of the combined intervention. Moreover, functional MRI will be applied to explore the central analgesic mechanism. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2023KY-039-001). The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2300078270.