Acupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation vs repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation alone for recovery of hemiparesis after ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Combining acupuncture with rTMS was associated with better motor and daily-living scores than rTMS alone. Differences among trials and limited safety reporting mean the result should guide further evaluation, not guarantee an individual outcome.
Li G, Yue M, Fan S, Bai Q, Li S, Yang X, Chen X, Zhou Y, Zhong J, Shi J.
Neuroscience · Publication date: 2026-09-06
Added to site: 2026-09-11
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.08.052
First-publication date from the authoritative indexed record. A contributor-designation corrigendum was published October 23, 2026; it did not change the study methods or results.
- Modalities
- TMS
- Clinical focus
- Stroke, Motor recovery, Activities of daily living
- Population
- Patients with hemiparesis after ischemic stroke
- Sample
- 30 trials with 3,261 participants
- Intervention / method
- Acupuncture combined with rTMS
- Comparator
- rTMS alone
Clinician summary
Combination treatment favored Fugl-Meyer total, upper- and lower-extremity scores and Barthel Index. Heterogeneity was substantial for lower-extremity results, and only a small number of trials reported adverse events.
How to interpret the findings
The abstract does not provide trial-level risk-of-bias details, protocol consistency or follow-up durability. Sparse adverse-event reporting limits safety conclusions.
Equipment and disclosures
rTMS and acupuncture protocols varied across included trials; device and coil details were not resolved from the abstract.
Funding and competing-interest disclosures were not verified from the reviewed abstract.
Corrigendum published October 23, 2026: Mengqi Yue and Shuochen Fan should have been designated as equal first authors. The correction does not change the reported methods or results.
Read the correction ↗Related evidence
Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.
- Pain Outcomes and Exercise Data from the EXERT-Stroke Pilot Clinical Trial on Post-Stroke Headaches. · Mixed
- Motor Improvements Following Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation with kTMP: A Case Study of Cerebellar Stroke. · Positive with limitations
- Neuromodulation effects of HF-rTMS and rPMS on stroke patients: an fNIRS study. · Positive with limitations
- Validation of Low-Frequency Oscillatory Activity as an Indicator of Post-Stroke Injury and Recovery. · Positive with limitations
- Clinical efficacy evaluation of combined central and peripheral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for elbow flexor (biceps Brachii) spasticity and upper limb motor function after stroke · Positive with limitations
Summary prepared with AI assistance. Source verification does not imply an independent replication or a clinician's endorsement. Read our review method.