Efficacy of meridian massage for motor function after a stroke: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy of meridian massage on motor function after a stroke.METHODS:This systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomised(RCTs)and quasi-randomised controlled trials(q RCTs)was performed to determine the effects of meridian massage on motor dysfunction following a stroke.Articles published until December 2020 related to stroke and meridian massage from National Library of Medicine,Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials,Embase,Korea Med,Japan science and Technology Agency,China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database,Wanfang Database,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and China Science and Technology Journal Database were searched.The primary outcomes included Fugl-Mayer Assessment(FMA),modified Barthel Index(m BI)and clinical efficiency,while the secondary outcomes included modified Ashworth(m AS)and Berg Balance Scale(BBS).Two authors independently selected the literature,extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias,after which Meta-analysis with subgroups and sensitivity analysis was conducted.RESULTS:A total of 16 RCTs and 3 q-RCTs involved 1556 patients satisfied the inclusion.Meta-analysis showed that compared to conventional rehabilitation,meridian massage had significantly better FMA[mean difference(MD)=1.16,95%confidence interval(CI):0.43,1.89,P=0.002],FMA-L(MD=3.21,95%CI:1.97,4.45,P=0.00001),m BI(MD=8.87,95%CI:4.24,13.49,P=0.00002),clinical efficiency[relative risk(RR)=1.37,95%CI:1.24,1.51,P<0.00001],m AS(MD=-0.69,95%CI:-1.26,-0.11,P=0.02)and BBS(MD=5.07,95%CI:2.22,7.93,P=0.0005).Subgroup analysis indicated no significant difference between meridian massage and control group when the intervention duration was>8 weeks(MD=0.89,95%CI:-0.64,2.42,P=0.25)but improving motor function in the meridian massage when the intervention duration was≤8 weeks(<4 weeks intervention duration MD=0.84,95%CI:0.59,1.10,P<0.00001;4–8 weeks MD=2.41,95%CI:0.80,4.01,P=0.003).CONCLUSIONS:Meridian massage as an alternative and complementary therapy seems to have short-term benefits in improving post-stroke motor function(particularly in the lower limbs),quality of life,clinical efficiency,and balance stability and muscle spasms.The high heterogeneity of the included studies and the low methodological quality certainly limits the confidence placed in this systematic review and Meta-analysis,warranting future well-designed studies.

Clinical observation on the treatment of sympathetic cervical spondylosis with meridian acupoint massage combined with curvature traction

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of meridian acupoint massage combined with curvature traction on sympathetic cervical spondylosis its influence on heart rate variability and norepinephrine concentration.Methods:80 patients with sympathetic cervical spondylosis were divided into the treatment group and control group randomly,with 40 patients in each group.Patients in the two groups were treated with massage on the basis of curvature traction.Among them,the treatment group was treated with meridian acupoint massage,while the control group was treated with routine massage.Each subject was treated once a day for 2 weeks.Before and after treatment,VAS,NRS,"20 score method",NDI,JOA,and Borden's method were used to evaluate the pain,sympathetic symptoms and cervical function of the two groups.At the same time,the changes of RR interval standard deviation and urine noradrenaline concentration were also observed.Finally the clinical efficacy of the two groups were evaluated.Results:The cure rate of the treatment group was 62.50%,while it was 40.00%in the control group,and the effective rate of the treatment group was 95.00%,the total effective rate of the control group was 80.00%,the treatment group was superior to the control group in both cure rate and total effective rate(P<0.05).During post-therapy,VAS score,NRS score,sympathetic symptom score,cervical physiological curvature,NDI score,and noradrenaline concentration in urine in both groups were lower than those of pre-treatment(P<0.01),JOA score and heart rate variability SDNN value were significantly higher(P<0.01),and the treatment group was superior to the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion:Meridian acupoint massage combined with curvature traction has a significant clinical effect on sympathetic cervical spondylosis,which is worth further promotion and application.