Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of medicinal cupping combined with thunder-fire moxibustion in the treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) after ischemic stroke. Methods A total of 120 patients with SHS after ischemic stroke admitted to the Encephalopathy Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine from January 1st, 2023 to December 30th, 2024 were enrolled as research subjects. They were divided into control group 1, control group 2, or observation group by random number table, with 40 cases in each group. All 3 groups received routine treatment, nursing care, and rehabilitation training. On this basis, control group 1 was additionally treated with medicinal cupping, control group 2 with thunder-fire moxibustion, and the observation group with combined medicinal cupping and thunder-fire moxibustion; the treatment course lasted 2 weeks. The degree of limb pain on the affected side (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] pain), swelling degree of the affected hand (difference in effusion volume between the healthy hand and the affected hand), motor function of the affected upper limb (Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity [FMA-UE]), and clinical efficacy were compared among the three groups. Results Before treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in VAS pain score, difference in effusion volume between the healthy hand and the affected hand, or FMA-UE score among the three groups (all P>0.05). After 2 weeks of treatment, all three groups showed decreased VAS pain scores and smaller difference in effusion volume between the healthy hand and the affected, along with higher FMA-UE scores compared with baseline (all P<0.05). Further pairwise comparison showed that control group 1 had smaller difference in effusion volume between the healthy hand and the affected hand and higher FMA-UE score than control group 2 (all P<0.05); the observation group had lower VAS pain score and smaller difference in effusion volume between the healthy hand and the affected hand, as well as higher FMA-UE score than the two control groups (all P<0.05). The clinical efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of control group 2 (P<0.05), while no statistically significant difference was found between control group 1 and control group 2, nor between the observation group and control group 1 (all P>0.05). Conclusion Medicinal cupping combined with thunder-fire moxibustion achieves good clinical effect in treating SHS after ischemic stroke. It can effectively relieve affected limb pain and affected hand swelling, and promote the recovery of motor function of the affected upper limb.

无