Abstract: Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupoint thread embedding therapy in the elderly patients with lower limb muscle spasms after stroke. Methods Forty elderly patients with post-stroke spasticity of lower limbs from Affiliated Geriatric Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group, with 20 cases in each group. The control group received routine rehabilitation training, while the treatment group received thread embedding therapy(polydioxanone threads, PDO)combined with routine rehabilitation training. The grade of modified Ashworth scale, Peen scale and the scores of lower limb Fugl-Meyer assessment scale(FMA), and absolute value of Young’s modulus before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. Results There were no statistically significant differences in MAS grade, Peen grade, lower limb FMA score, and absolute value of Young’s modulus between the two groups before treatment (P＞0.05). After 24 hours of treatment, MAS grade and Peen grade in the treatment group were more significantly improved than those in the control group;On the 10th day after treatment, MAS score, Peen score, lower limb FMA score, and absolute value of Young’s modulus in the treatment group were more significantly improved than those in the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusions Acupoint thread embedding therapy combined with conventional rehabilitation training can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of lower limb muscle spasticity after stroke in the elderly patients.

Key words: acupoint thread embedding therapy, stroke, muscle spasms