Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 29:12:1565514.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1565514. eCollection 2025.

Effect of purpose-directed acupuncture on the pharyngeal phase in stroke patients with dysphagia based on surface electromyography: a randomized controlled trial

Yan-Qiang Qin #  1 , Ying-Chun Sun #  1 , Xian-Kuan Cheng #  1 , Hai-Jiang Yao  1 , Shao-Hong Li  1 , Zheng-Fan Yang  1 , Tao Zheng  1 , Da-Peng Li  1 , Ling-Yong Xiao  2
Affiliations

Effect of purpose-directed acupuncture on the pharyngeal phase in stroke patients with dysphagia based on surface electromyography: a randomized controlled trial

Yan-Qiang Qin et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Introduction: Dysphagia following a stroke is a common complication that significantly impacts patients' daily living abilities. Acupuncture has been reported to effectively alleviate post-stroke dysphagia and enhance patients' quality of life. This study aims to compare the effects of purpose-directed acupuncture (PDA) schemes and conventional acupuncture schemes on post-stroke dysphagia using surface electromyography.

Methods: A randomized single-blind controlled study design was employed, where eligible post-stroke dysphagia patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group and control group. Both groups received 4 weeks of treatment based on either PDA or conventional acupuncture in addition to regular dysphagia rehabilitation training. After treatment, patients' Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) scores, Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA) scores, and surface electromyography of swallowing muscles were assessed.

Results: The study included a total of 58 subjects, with 29 in each treatment group and control group. Compared to the control group, the treatment group showed a significant increase in FOIS scores and a decrease in SSA scores. Surface electromyography results indicated that patients in the treatment group had significantly increased Aemg and Iemg values in the submental muscle group compared to the control group.

Conclusion: PDA schemes may serve as a more effective treatment approach for post-stroke dysphagia, particularly showing advantages in improving submental muscle strength.

Clinical trial registration: The protocol was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100053597).

Keywords: acupuncture; post-stroke dysphagia; purpose-directed acupuncture; randomized controlled trial; surface electromyography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Typical sEMG diagrams of the submental muscle group in the two groups of patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Cohen DL, Roffe C, Beavan J, Blackett B, Fairfield CA, Hamdy S, et al. Post-stroke dysphagia: a review and design considerations for future trials. Int J Stroke. (2016) 11:399–411. doi: 10.1177/1747493016639057, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Labeit B, Michou E, Hamdy S, Trapl-Grundschober M, Suntrup-Krueger S, Muhle P, et al. The assessment of dysphagia after stroke: state of the art and future directions. Lancet Neurol. (2023) 22:858–70. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00153-9, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Labeit B, Michou E, Trapl-Grundschober M, Suntrup-Krueger S, Muhle P, Bath PM, et al. Dysphagia after stroke: research advances in treatment interventions. Lancet Neurol. (2024) 23:418–28. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(24)00053-X, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li L, Xu F, Yang S, Kuang P, Ding H, Huang M, et al. Tongue acupuncture for the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Neurosci. (2023) 17:1124064. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1124064, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yao L, Liang W, Du X, Chen Y, Huang X. Effect of acupuncture on long-term outcomes in patients with post-stroke dysphagia. NeuroRehabilitation. (2022) 51:433–41. doi: 10.3233/NRE-220113, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources