Auricular Acupuncture for Post-Stroke Constipation

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if auricular acupuncture can improve constipation in hospitalized patients with post-stroke constipation. It will also evaluate whether auricular acupuncture is safe when used together with standard care. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does auricular acupuncture reduce constipation severity in patients with post-stroke constipation? * Does auricular acupuncture intestinal symptoms compared with sham auricular acupuncture? * Is auricular acupuncture safe for patients with post-stroke constipation? Researchers will compare auricular acupuncture plus standard care with sham auricular acupuncture plus standard care to determine whether auricular acupuncture provides additional benefits in relieving constipation symptoms. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either auricular acupuncture or sham auricular acupuncture * Receive one treatment session daily for 8 consecutive treatment days in addition to standard care. * Complete assessment of constipation severity and intestinal symptoms before and during the study. * Be monitored for any adverse events throughout the study.

Post-stroke constipation (PSC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal complications after stroke and is associated with prolonged hospitalization, impaired rehabilitation, reduced quality of life, and poorer functional outcomes. Conventional management, including laxatives, dietary modification, and bowel training, may improve constipation symptoms; however, many patients continue to experience persistent bowel dysfunction despite these treatments. Therefore, safe and effective adjunctive therapies are needed to optimize bowel management during stroke rehabilitation. Auricular acupuncture is a non-pharmacological intervention that has been increasingly used to manage gastrointestinal disorders. Previous experimental and clinical studies suggest that stimulation of specific auricular acupoints may regulate autonomic nervous system activity, improve gastrointestinal motility, and modulate the gut-brain axis. Although several studies have reported beneficial effects of auricular acupuncture for constipation, evidence regarding its effectiveness in patients with post-stroke constipation remains limited, particularly from randomized sham-controlled clinical trials. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to standard care in hospitalized patients with post-stroke constipation. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either auricular acupuncture plus standard care or sham auricular acupuncture plus standard care. Constipation severity, intestinal symptoms, bowel function, and adverse events were evaluated during the intervention period to compare the therapeutic effects between the two groups. The findings of this study are expected to provide additional clinical evidence regarding the role of auricular acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for post-stroke constipation and may contribute to the development of evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for patients recovering from stroke.