To observe the feasibility and efficacy of kinesio taping combined with acupuncture on rehabilitation of upper limb motor function in patients with acute poststroke shoulder-hand syndrome (PSHS).

One hundred and twenty patients with acute PSHS (Stage Ⅰ, acute phase) who received rehabilitation treatment at the Rehabilitation Department of Affiliated Nantong Hospital 3 of Nantong University from January 2019 to January 2022 were randomly divided into the A group (kinesio taping combined with acupuncture), B group (kinesio taping), and C group (acupuncture) using a random number table method, with 40 patients in each group. All patients were given internal medicine and general rehabilitation therapy, with continuous treatment for 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Fugl-Meyer motor function assessment of upper limb (FMA-UE) and WOLF motor function test (WMFT) scores were used to evaluate the rehabilitation of upper limb motor function before and after 4 weeks of treatment. At the same time, the efficacy of kinesio taping combined with acupuncture in the treatment of upper limb functional rehabilitation in patients with acute PSHS is evaluated based on the efficacy criteria of the "Rehabilitation Assessment" . Using multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for gender, age, and functional scores, evaluate the clinical effectiveness of kinesio taping combined with acupuncture in the rehabilitation of upper limb motor function in PSHS patients.

The baseline data and VAS, FMA-UE, WMFT scores were no statistical difference between the three groups before treatment (P>0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores of all three groups of patients decreased, and the efficacy of group A was better than that of groups B and C, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05); The scores of FMA-UE and WMFT both increased, and the efficacy of group A was better than that of groups B and C, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Upper limb functional rehabilitation were evaluated according to rehabilitation assessment, the improvement of limb spasm in the A group (90.00%) was significantly higher than that in the B and C groups (67.50% and 62.00%; P<0.05). Multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis suggests that the clinical efficacy of kinesio taping combined with acupuncture in improving upper limb motor function in acute PSHS patients is 6.563 times higher than that of single treatment (95%CI: 1.256-34.301, P<0.05).

Kinesio taping combined with acupuncture can promote the rehabilitation of upper limb motor function in PSHS patients.