Background:
Shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) refers to a syndrome causing sudden edema, shoulder pain and
limited hand function. Qingpeng ointment, a kind of Tibetan medicine, can reduce swelling, relieve pain, tonify stagnation
and clear the meridians, which is consistent with the pathological mechanism of SHS after stroke. Therefore, if clinical trials
can be used to explore the effectiveness of Qingpeng ointment for treatment of poststroke SHS and promote its application
in clinical medicine, this is of specific significance for the treatment of poststroke SHS.
Objective:
To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qingpeng ointment in the treatment of poststroke SHS. To
provide an objective basis for a better therapeutic treatment for poststroke SHS．
Method:
A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted. This study recruited 120 patients with poststroke SHS
who met the inclusion criteria. They were randomized into the treatment group and the control group, with 60 patients
allocated to each group. The treatment group received routine medical treatment and rehabilitative care after using the
Qingpeng ointment, while the patients in the control group received only routine treatment without the ointment. All
patients received clinical assessment with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), measurement of the range of motion (ROM) of
the upper-limb joints, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-U) and the Modified Barthel Index Score
(MBI) before and after the whole treatment.
Results:
After 4 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores of both groups were decreased significantly (P＜0.05), and the
difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There is no statistical significance for the
difference between the treatment group and control group in terms of the FMA-U and MBI scores and the forward bend,
backward, outstretch, external rotation and pronation angles after treatment. The increases in the values of VAS, FMA-M
and MBI in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant
(P < 0.05). The increases in the values of the forward bend, outreach and external rotation angles in the treatment group
were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The treatment group showed better results than the control group in terms of the relief of pain symptoms, the
improvement of motor function and the improvement of the activities of daily living for patients with shoulder-hand
syndrome after cerebral hemorrhage. Qingpeng ointment is effective and safe in treating poststroke SHS.
The Effect of Electrode Size during tDCS on Hand Function
