The incidence of shoulder pain post stroke was high. Thus, it is clinically significant to study the onset characteristics and pain management.
Yi Zhu and colleagues from Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China retrospectively investigated the characteristics of hemiplegic shoulder pain post stroke in patients from Nanjing, China, and discussed risk factors for hemiplegic shoulder pain post stroke and curative effects of different pain management treatment methods.
The researchers found that involvement of the posterior limb of internal capsule and early onset of shoulder pain can reduce the efficacy of pain management, while pain-related education before treatment and early pain regression increase the efficacy of pain management. In addition, diagnosis type of shoulder pain can influence the efficacy of pain management.
Comprehensive rehabilitation can alleviate shoulder pain, and electroacupuncture based on the underlying physical therapy for shoulder subluxation pain is more efficiently.
These results, published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 25, 2013) can provide reference for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain post stroke.