Acupuncture
stimulation at some specific acupoints relieved gait disturbance immediate
after acupuncture in PD patients according to a report published in the Journal
of American Geriatrics Society.
Gait
disturbance is one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s. A typical
parkinsonian gait is characterised as slower speed, shorter arm swings, shorter
stride length, longer double support time and faster cadence than healthy
individuals. Gait dysfunction is regarded as one of the important symptoms of
Parkinson’s and affects the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s.
Recently
doctors in Japan conducted a small clinical study to assess the short-term
effect of acupuncture on gait disturbance in Parkinson’s. Patients with
Parkinson’s were given acupuncture at following acupoints: ST36, SP6, LV3, LI4
and LI11. Gait function in PD patients were measured using a portable gait
rhythmogram, a small device that measures three dimensional accelerations
affecting gait associated with voluntary limb and trunk movements before and
after acupuncture.
It
was found that after acupuncture stride length, walking acceleration and gait
speed, indicators of gait function significantly increased compared the
baseline.
Authors
suggested that acupuncture was as good as or better than the conventional
treatment with gait disturbance in Parkinson’s. However, clinical study with
controlled and large sample size should be conducted to evaluate efficacy of
acupuncture treatment.
Reference
S Fukuda et al., Acupuncture
for Gait Disturbance in Parkinson's Disease: Immediate Effects of Acupuncture
Treatment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015 Oct;63(10):2189-90. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.13690/abstract
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