Clinical effect and contributing factors of acupuncture for limb motor dysfunction after ischemic stroke: A systematic review and exploratory network meta-analysis

Acupuncture combined with conventional therapy enhances limb motor function recovery in patients after ischemic stroke. Manual acupuncture combined with conventional treatment, especially when employing higher-dose acupuncture protocols, may represent one of the most effective therapeutic approaches. Although the low certainty of evidence warrants cautious interpretation, these findings indicate a promising treatment strategy and identify key areas that require verification through subsequent rigorous studies.