• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of cotreatment with $Samgieum-gagam$, acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture on post-stroke shoulder pain. Methods : The subjects in this study were 43 patients with post-stroke hemiplegic shoulder pain. These patients were randomly divided into four groups : the group treated with acupuncture, the group cotreated with acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture, the group cotreated with acupuncture and $Samgieum-gagam$, the group cotreated with acupuncture, sweet bee venom acupuncture and Samgieumgagam, They were treated for 4 weeks, and the effectiveness was assessed by visual analogue scale(VAS), Fugl-Meyer motor assessment(FMMA), painless passive ROM of shoulder external rotation(PROM), Modified Ashworth sacle(MAS) and Satisfaction. Results : All groups showed significant change in VAS, FMMA and PROM. The group cotreated with acupuncture, sweet bee venom acupuncture and $Samgieum-gagam$ showed more effectiveness in VAS and FMMA than the group treated with acupuncture. There was no significant difference in MAS among groups. Conclusions : This study suggests that cotreatment with $Samgieum-gagam$, acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture is more effective than acupuncture treatment only on post-stroke shoulder pain. Further study based on many other combination methods, larger population, and long term follow-up is needed to confirm this suggestion.