SynthesisPloS one2025
Efficacy of acupuncture on lower limb motor dysfunction following stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Impact of acupuncture on lower limb motor function recovery after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Core acupoint selection strategies and multifactorial analysis for acute musculoskeletal pain.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation robot for recovery of hemiplegia after ischemic stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Effect of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with abdominal acupuncture on lower limb motor function and balance in post-stroke hemiplegia: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Trial
- Acupuncture for early Wallerian degeneration of bilateral brachium pontis: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2026Article
- Acupuncture for Post-Stroke Lower Limb Dysfunction: Clinical Efficacy and Neurophysiological Mechanisms.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAcupuncture is widely used for Lower Limb Motor Dysfunction Following Stroke (LLMD) in China, though its effectiveness remains unclear. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for LLMD.
methodsWe searched eight databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM, up to December 2023. Randomized controlled trials on acupuncture therapy for LLMD after stroke were included in this study. Outcome measures included motor function, balance function, walking ability, and daily living activities. Two researchers conducted independent literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment in accordance with Cochrane Collaboration network's standards. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 17.0 were used in data analysis. Results were presented as mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).
resultsTwelve studies involving 1318 patients, most of which showed low or unclear risk of bias, were included in this review. Meta-analysis results indicate that compared with conventional treatment, acupuncture intervention can improve scores in Fugl-Meyer Assessment for lower scale (SMD = -0.48, 95% CI [-0.92, -0.04], Z = 2.16, P = .03), Berg Balance Scale (SMD = -0.86, 95%CI [-1.65, -0.07], Z = 2.14, P = .03), Functional Ambulation Category scale (SMD = -0.74, 95%CI [-2.33, 0.84], Z = 0.92, P = .36), and Modified Barthel Index Scale (SMD = 0.27, 95%CI [-0.30, 0.84], Z = 0.94, P = .35).
conclusionThe results of this study suggest that acupuncture combined rehabilitation training may be more effective than conventional rehabilitation alone in improving LLMD, balance function, walking ability, and daily living activities after stroke. Despite limitations due to the low quality of the included studies and methodological constraints, acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training may serve as an effective approach for the treatment of LLMD poststroke.
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