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Spasticity after brain injury is a neurological sequela caused by damage to upper motor neurons. The primary symptoms are involuntary muscle activity, decreased muscle strength, and joint contracture. Acupuncture as a therapeutic method to regulate central nervous system function has been studied widely in recent years. Many clinical experiments have proved that acupuncture has positive effects on spasticity after brain injury. In this review, we discuss recent research of acupuncture treatment and the need for large randomized controlled trials.


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Acupuncture treatment for spasticity after brain injury

Show Author's information Rong Xie1Yifei Wang2Jianghong He3( )Yi Yang3( )
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Beijing Tiantan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China

Abstract

Spasticity after brain injury is a neurological sequela caused by damage to upper motor neurons. The primary symptoms are involuntary muscle activity, decreased muscle strength, and joint contracture. Acupuncture as a therapeutic method to regulate central nervous system function has been studied widely in recent years. Many clinical experiments have proved that acupuncture has positive effects on spasticity after brain injury. In this review, we discuss recent research of acupuncture treatment and the need for large randomized controlled trials.

Keywords: spasticity, brain network, brain injury, acupuncture treatment

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Received: 26 October 2020
Revised: 22 December 2020
Accepted: 20 February 2021
Published: 07 June 2021
Issue date: March 2021

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© The authors 2021

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This article is published with open access at http://jnr.tsinghuajournals.com

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