The effect of acupuncture on the correction of post-stroke dysphagia compared to methods of physical influence

Abstract

Background. Dysphagia is a problematic field in the clinical work of neurologists, resuscitation experts and therapists due to the high percentage of secondary complications caused by aspiration pneumonia, nutritional deficiency, which affect the recovery process. This ultimately affects the main socio-medical indicators such as mortality, lethality, disability in structure of cerebrovascular diseases. Neurogenic dysphagia occurs in 25–65 % of patients with stroke, while mortality among patients with post-stroke dysphagia receiving tube feeding varies from 20 to 24 %.The aim. To evaluate the impact of reflexology in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia in comparison with the methods of physical impact. Materials and methods. An open clinical comparative study was conducted in two clinical bases: Republican Hospital named after N.A. Semashko (Ulan-Ude) and Bokhan District Hospital.In this clinical trial, 53 patients with swallowing disorders during the acute period of ischemic stroke were tested. When diagnosing dysphagia, a point scale of the Clinic of the Institute of the Brain was used, which assesses the degree of swallowing disorders before and after treatment. The comparative group receiving standard therapy in combination with physiotherapy (VOCASTIM) included 27 patients, the study group was comprised of 26 patients, who underwent basic therapy in combination with acupuncture (1 course – 10 sessions). In the course of the comparative clinical trial, statistical data were obtained that indicate the positive role of acupuncture in restoring the function of swallowing in patients with acute impairment of cerebral circulation.Results. During the current clinical study, on the background of a 10-day course of reflexology with an exposure of 10–15 minutes and VOCASTIM physiotherapy for 10–15 minutes, the majority of patients experienced regression of post-stroke dysphagia.Conclusion. According to the results of this study, the method of reflexology as a result of physiotherapy showed a faster recovery of swallowing function in the correction of neurogenic swallowing diseases, which causes cerebral infarction.