Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability around the world. It happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
Without enough oxygen and nutrients, brain cells begin to die within minutes. While some people recover well after a stroke, many are left with long-term challenges that affect their daily lives.
One of the most common problems after a stroke is paralysis or weakness on one side of the body. This condition can make simple activities such as walking, eating, dressing, or writing much more difficult.
Rehabilitation programs often include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and exercises designed to help patients regain strength and movement. However, recovery is often slow and incomplete, leading researchers to explore additional treatment options.
One therapy that has attracted increasing attention is acupuncture, a traditional treatment that involves placing very thin needles into specific points on the body. Although acupuncture has been used for thousands of years, scientists are still working to understand exactly how it affects the brain and whether it can help stroke recovery.
A new study published in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics provides fresh evidence that acupuncture may improve motor recovery in people who have experienced a stroke. The research also offers clues about what may be happening inside the brain when patients receive treatment.
The study involved 56 stroke patients who were experiencing movement difficulties after their stroke. Researchers randomly divided the participants into two groups. One group received acupuncture at traditional acupuncture points that are believed to have therapeutic effects.
The second group received sham acupuncture, in which needles were placed at locations that were not considered true treatment points. This approach allowed researchers to compare real acupuncture with a control treatment.
Participants received treatment over a two-week period. During and after treatment, researchers measured changes in motor function using standard tests commonly used in stroke rehabilitation.
The results were encouraging. Patients who received true acupuncture showed significant improvements in their ability to move and control their affected limbs. In contrast, patients who received sham acupuncture did not experience the same level of improvement.
The researchers then used brain imaging to look for changes inside the brain. They focused on gray matter, which contains many of the brain’s nerve cell bodies and plays a key role in processing information.
Previous studies have shown that the brain can reorganize itself after injury, a process known as neuroplasticity. This ability allows surviving brain regions to take over some functions lost after a stroke.
The imaging results revealed that patients receiving true acupuncture developed increases in gray matter volume in several important brain regions.
These included the right opercular inferior frontal gyrus, the postcentral gyrus, and parts of the cerebellum. These areas are involved in movement planning, sensory processing, coordination, and the integration of thinking and movement.
Importantly, the increases in gray matter were closely linked to improvements in motor recovery. Patients who experienced larger brain changes generally showed better improvement in limb function.
The researchers believe these findings suggest that acupuncture may help the brain reorganize itself after stroke. By influencing brain regions involved in movement and coordination, acupuncture may support the recovery process and help patients regain lost abilities.
If you care about stroke, please read studies that diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk, and MIND diet could slow down cognitive decline after stroke.
For more health information, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of dementia, and tea and coffee may help lower your risk of stroke, dementia.
Source: CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics study.
