The Effect Of Acupressure With Oral Motor Training In Stroke Patients With Swallowing Disorder

Objective:To investigate the effect of using acupressure with oral motor training in patients with post-stroke dysphagia,and to observe the changes in swallowing ability,muscle strength of swallowing muscles and quality of life of the patients before and after the intervention.Methods:Seventy-eight patients with post-stroke dysphagia who were hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital in Changchun from January 2022 to October 2022 and met the inclusion criteria were selected and divided into two groups,39 cases in the control group and 39 cases in the observation group,by the principle of randomization grouping.A total of 76 cases were eventually completed and a total of 2 cases were dislodged.The control group was given conventional treatment,routine care and specialist care(oral motor training),while the observation group was given acupressure on the basis of the control group,each acupressure point was massaged for 2 minutes,for a total of 18 minutes,once a day,7 days a week,for a total of 2 weeks of intervention.Before the nursing intervention,the patients’ basic information was collected and their swallowing function,muscle strength of swallowing muscles and quality of life were assessed and recorded using MMASA,WST,Swallowing Dysfunction Assessment Standard Scale and SWAL-QOL scale.After 2 weeks of nursing intervention,the patient’s swallowing function,swallowing muscle strength and quality of life were again assessed and recorded using the MMASA,WST,Swallowing Assessment Criteria Scale and SWAL-QOL scale,and the data were statistically analyzed.Results:1 Comparison of general informationThe two groups were compared in terms of age,gender,stroke type,side of paralysis,occupation and education,and the differences were not statistically significant(P(29)0.05),consistent and comparable at baseline.2 Comparison of swallowing ability(1)Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability(MMASA):Prior to the intervention,there was no statistically meaningful difference between the MMASA scores of the two groups(P(29)0.05).After 2 weeks of intervention,the MMASA scores of the two groups increased compared with the pre-intervention scores(P(27)0.05),and the MMASA scores of the observation group were better than the MMASA scores of the control group after the intervention(P(27)0.05).(2)Water Swallowing Test(WST):Prior to the intervention,there was no statistically meaningful significant difference between the WST levels of the two groups(P(29)0.05).After 2 weeks of intervention,the WST levels in both groups improved(P(27)0.05),and the levels in the observation group were better than the levels in the control group(P(27)0.05).The total efficiency of the observation group(89.5%)was better than the total efficiency of the control group(71.1%)(P(27)0.05).3 Comparison of muscle strength of swallowing musclesPrior to the intervention,there was no statistically meaningful difference between the scores of the two groups on the swallowing function impairment assessment scale(P(29)0.05).After 2 weeks of intervention,the scores of both groups were lower than the pre-intervention scores(P(27)0.05),and the scores of the observation group were lower than the control group when compared between the two groups(P(27)0.05).4 Comparison of quality of lifePrior to the intervention,there was no statistically meaningful difference between the two groups on the Swallowing-related Quality of Life(SWAL-QOL)scores(P(29)0.05).After the 2-week intervention,the SWAL-QOL scores of both groups increased compared to the pre-intervention scores(P(27)0.05),and the scores of the observation group were better than those of the control group when compared between the two groups(P(27)0.05).Conclusion:1 Acupressure with oral motor training is effective in enhancing swallowing function in patients with post-stroke swallowing disorders and is superior to conventional specialist care.2 Acupressure in addition to oral motor training can improve the muscle strength of the swallowing muscles in patients with post-stroke dysphagia and can also increase the quality of life of patients with post-stroke dysphagia.