Effects of dry needling plus exercise therapy on post-stroke spasticity and motor function: A case report

Abstract

Background and purposeThe use of dry needling (DN) with other treatments may be more beneficial in managing post-stroke spasticity. We report the effects of DN plus exercise therapy (ET) on wrist flexor spasticity. Patient presentationThe patient was a 45-year-old man with an 8-year history of stroke. The outcome measures included the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS), Hmax/Mmax ratio, H-reflex latency, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), and range of motion (ROM) which were assessed before (T1), after (T2), and after 3-week follow-up (T3). ConclusionThe MMAS was improved at T2 from “3” to “2”. The Hmax/Mmax decreased from 0.77 to 0.53 at T3. The H-reflex latency increased from 15.4 ms to 18.5 ms at T3. The wrist active and passive ROM increased ∼30° and ∼20° at T2, respectively.A 4-session DN plus ET may improve spasticity and ROM. No meaningful improvement was observed in function.