Acupuncture for post-stroke recovery: a retrospective cohort study on motor function and quality of life

Background Stroke remains a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Acupuncture has been increasingly integrated into post-stroke rehabilitation programs, yet evidence regarding combined acupuncture protocols remains limited. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of combined acupuncture therapy (scalp acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and body acupuncture) plus conventional rehabilitation compared with conventional rehabilitation alone on motor function recovery and quality of life in patients with subacute stroke. Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 108 patients with first-ever ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke admitted to our rehabilitation center between January 2022 and December 2024. Patients were divided into the acupuncture group ( n = 54), receiving combined acupuncture plus conventional rehabilitation for 4 weeks, and the control group ( n = 54), receiving conventional rehabilitation alone. Primary outcomes included Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for motor function and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL). Secondary outcomes included Modified Barthel Index (MBI), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Assessments were performed at baseline, post-treatment (4 weeks), and 12-week follow-up. Results Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups (all p 0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, the acupuncture group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in FMA scores (61.28 ± 11.85 vs. 52.15 ± 10.42, p 0.001) with a mean difference of 9.13 points (95% CI: 5.89–12.37). The acupuncture group also showed superior outcomes in MBI (73.58 ± 12.34 vs. 62.04 ± 11.56, p 0.001), NIHSS (5.52 ± 1.89 vs. 7.62 ± 2.15, p 0.001), and SS-QOL (181.35 ± 26.48 vs. 163.52 ± 24.86, p 0.001). At 12-week follow-up, these improvements were sustained. Favorable functional outcome (mRS 0–2) was achieved in 79.6% of the acupuncture group versus 53.7% of controls (OR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.52–7.51, p = 0.003). No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusion Combined acupuncture therapy integrated with conventional rehabilitation was associated with significantly improved motor function and quality of life in patients with subacute stroke compared with conventional rehabilitation alone. These benefits persisted at 12-week follow-up. Confirmation through rigorous randomized controlled trials with sham acupuncture controls is warranted.