SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2026
Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation for post-stroke hemiplegia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Hemiplegia, as a common sequela of stroke, can severely affect patients' quality of life. Although rehabilitation therapy can improve neurological function and motor abilities, a single therapy often has limited effectiveness in meeting the comprehensive rehabilitation needs. Clinical observations have demonstrated that the integration of acupuncture with rehabilitation therapy yields significant synergistic benefits. However, given the paucity of direct comparative studies between distinct combination therapies, the optimal treatment regimen remains to be definitively established. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of rehabilitation combined with different acupuncture techniques in treating patients with post-stroke hemiplegia using a network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: We systematically searched eight databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to acupuncture combined with rehabilitation (ACU + RT) for post-stroke hemiplegia, with the searched period from database inception to March 5, 2026. The included literature was analyzed using Bayesian NMA with R software version 4.5.0. Results: This study included 71 RCTs, involving 6,121 patients and nine interventions. The NMA results indicated that for Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) efficacy, the top three interventions were floating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation (FACU + RT), warm needle moxibustion combined with rehabilitation (WNM + RT), and moxibustion combined with rehabilitation (MOX + RT). However, according to the SUCRA ranking, WNM + RT emerged as the most likely optimal intervention (SUCRA = 76.06%; MD = 16.1, 95%CI: 9.25 to 23.1). Regarding Barthel Index (BI) scores, scalp acupuncture combined with rehabilitation (SA + RT) ranked first (MD = 17.4, 95%CI: 7.47 to 27.1; SUCRA = 86.20%), followed by ACU + RT and MOX + RT. In terms of Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scores, FACU + RT demonstrated the highest efficacy (MD = 16.4, 95%CI: 2.88 to 29.9; SUCRA = 87.87%), followed by MOX + RT and electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation (EA + RT). Finally, for Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) scores, SA + RT was ranked first (MD = -1.10, 95%CI: -2.05 to -0.15; SUCRA = 78.38%), with MOX + RT ranking second. Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that combining different acupuncture methods yields varying therapeutic effects. Regarding the improvement of FMA scores, WNM + RT may be considered the preferred clinical regimen due to the limited evidence supporting FACU + RT (based on a single study). Furthermore, SA + RT proves most effective for improving BI scores and reducing MAS, while FACU + RT exhibits potential benefits for MBI scores. However, as the number of studies reporting MAS data is relatively small (5 cases), the robustness of this result still needs to be further confirmed in future research. Systematic review registration: CRD420261334951, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261334951.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.