AIM: To observe the clinical effect of combination treatment of acupuncture and manipulation and passive stretching exercise for treating spasm cerebral palsy in infants. METHODS: A total of 60 children in the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Physiotherapy, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, were divided into combination group of acupuncture and manipulation and acupuncture group with the method of random figure. In the combination group of acupuncture and manipulation, patients were acupunctured with 'niesanzhen', 'zhisanzhen', ' naosanzhen', 'sishenzhen' accompanied with passive extremity movement, once per day, with one month as a course. Clinical effects after 2 courses were observed and compared. RESULTS: Efficiency of combination group of acupuncture and manipulation (27%) was significantly higher than that of acupuncture group (13%); and total efficiency of the former (73%) was significantly higher than of the latter (47%) (p < 0.05). Effect of treatment was significantly related with age (p < 0.05). Difference between < 3 years old group and > 6 years old group showed significant meaning (Chi2 = 11.56, p < 0.01); difference between 3 to 6 years old group and > 6 years old group showed significant meaning (Chi2 = 3.99, p < 0.05). Treatment effect had no significant relationship with intelligence and sex of patients (p > 0.05). Difference in the effect of various TCM syndromes had no significant meaning (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combination treatment of acupuncture treatment and manipulation can increase the clinical effect obviously, and the yuonger the patients are, the better the effects.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• PDF locator
• publisher