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Volume 4,Issue 3

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30 June 2026
Clinical Study on the Treatment of Dysarthria After Stroke Using Tongguan Liqiao Acupuncture Combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
Lin Liu ,  Conghao Yang ,  Wenying Fan
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1 Qinghai Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xining 810000, Qinghai, China,
2 Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qinghai University Medical College, Xining 810000, Qinghai, China,
CNR 2026 , 4(2), 74–80; https://doi.org/10.26689/cnr.v4i2.15377
© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy and advantages of Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the treatment of dysarthria after stroke. Methods: A randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial design was adopted, involving 60 patients with dysarthria after stroke who were randomly divided into a control group (neuromuscular electrical stimulation treatment, 30 cases) and a treatment group (Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture added to the control group treatment, 30 cases). Both groups received treatment once daily, five times a week, for four consecutive weeks. The primary efficacy indicators were the Modified Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment Scale score and speech intelligibility, while the secondary indicator was the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) score. Evaluations were conducted before treatment, at 2 weeks of treatment, at 4 weeks of treatment, and during a follow-up visit 3 months after treatment. Results: After treatment, both groups showed significant improvements in the Modified Frenchay score, speech intelligibility, and ADL score compared to before treatment (P<0.05). At 4 weeks of treatment, the Modified Frenchay score in the treatment group was (24.3±2.1) points, significantly higher than that in the control group (20.5±2.4) points (P<0.01); speech intelligibility in the treatment group was (82.6±5.3)%, significantly higher than that in the control group (71.4±6.1)% (P<0.01). The total effective rate in the treatment group was 86.7%, higher than that in the control group (60.0%) (P<0.05). During the 3-month follow-up, the efficacy in the treatment group remained stably superior to that in the control group. No serious adverse reactions occurred in either group. Conclusion: Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation can significantly improve speech function and quality of life in patients with dysarthria after stroke, with superior efficacy to neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone and good safety, demonstrating good clinical application and promotion value.

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