Electroacupuncture for Poststroke Patients With Shoulder Pain

All the patients in verum electroacupuncture group will receive acupuncture on the six adjacent acupoints (LI4, LI15, TE14, SI9, SI11, and GB21) in unilateral side. Acupuncture needles (stainless steel, 0.25 mm × 40 mm, Dong Bang Acupuncture Inc., Republic of Korea) will be inserted 10-15 mm in depth and de qi sensation will be elicited. Park sham guide tubes will be used in verum group, too. Low frequency stimulate (STN-111, Stratek, Republic of Korea) will be connected to the tips of needles to provide electrical stimulation at middle frequency (30 Hz). Needles with electrical stimulation will be retained for 20 minutes. Patients should take this procedure 3 times a week for 3 weeks (9 sessions in total).

We selected a non-penetrating sham needling, i.e., Park sham device, which has been developed and validated in preceding studies as comparison. On the exactly same 6 acupoints as verum electroacupuncture group, needles will be installed with Park sham guide tubes and the same electrical stimulators will be connected the tips of needles. Since the needles do not penetrate the skin, the stimulation is not electrically conducted. To be sure of patient blinding, the low frequency stimulate will be turned on with the same frequency (30 Hz), which makes a fake noise, resulting in letting patients believe that they are taking real electroacupuncture therapy for 20 minutes. Sham group will also 9 session for 3 weeks (3 sessions a week).