To analyze the effect of acupuncture combined with Brunnstrom rehabilitation training on the recovery of neurological function and motor function in patients with cerebral infarction.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 86 patients with cerebral infarction admitted to the Rehabilitation Department of the hospital between January 2023 and September 2024, who met the inclusion criteria of this study. The patients were equally divided into two groups based on their treatment plan: 43 patients in the control group received conventional treatment and Brunnstrom rehabilitation training, while the other 43 patients in the observation group received acupuncture combined with Brunnstrom rehabilitation training. The therapeutic effects, traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores, neurological function, motor function and changes in intracranial hemodynamics were compared between the two groups.

In terms of the therapeutic effect, the effective rate of the observation group was 95.35% (41/43), while that of the control group was 74.42% (32/43). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of four traditional Chinese medicine symptoms such as limb numbness, deviation of mouth and eyes, sensory disturbance, dizziness and headache in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. In terms of Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Function (FMA) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores, both groups improved after treatment, but the improvement in the observation group was more significant. In terms of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, the decrease in the observation group was greater than that in the control group, and the difference between the groups was significant (P<0.05). In terms of hemodynamics, compared with the control group, the peak systolic velocity (PSV) and mean flow velocity (MFV) in the observation group were higher, and the resistance index (RI) was lower, with significant differences between the groups (P<0.05).

Acupuncture combined with Brunnstrom rehabilitation training for the patients with cerebral infarction is beneficial to improve symptoms such as sensory disturbance and limb numbness, promote the recovery of limb function of the upper and lower extremities, improve balance ability and intracranial hemodynamics, and reduce the degree of neurological deficit in patients, which has positive significance for the improvement of prognosis of the patients.