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| | Item | Details |
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| 1. Acupuncture rationale | Style of acupuncture | Manual acupuncture based on traditional Korean medicine theory |
| Reasoning for treatment provided, based on historical context, literature sources, and/or consensus methods, with references wherever appropriate | Acupuncture points to be used in this study were Quchi (LI11) located at the elbow of the affected upper limb. According to a review of systematic literature review and meta-analysis of existing strokes [18], one of the most commonly used acupuncture points for stroke treatment is Quchi |
| Extent to which treatment was varied | All participants will receive standardized treatment |
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| 2. Details of needling | Number of needle insertions per subject per session | 1 |
| Names of points used | Quchi (LI11) at the affected side |
| Depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement | 5–10 mm |
| Response sought | Simple puncture |
| Needle stimulation | Manual acupuncture |
| Needle retention time | 20 minutes |
| Needle type | Group 1: verum acupuncture needle; 0.25 × 40 mm sterilized stainless steel needle (Dong Bang acupuncture, Gyeonggi-do, Korea) |
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| 3. Treatment regimen | Number of treatment sessions | 1 time |
| Frequency and duration of treatment sessions | 20 minutes for 1 time |
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| 4. Other components of treatment | Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group | None |
| Setting and context of treatment, including instructions to practitioners, and information and explanations to patients | The study will be conducted in the Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital and all information will be provided to the subjects |
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| 5. Practitioner background | Description of participating acupuncturists | A KMD after completing 6 years of Korean medicine undergraduate course or KM internal medicine specialists who have at least two years of clinical experience |
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| 6. Control or comparator interventions | Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify this choice | Validated placebo acupuncture devices will be used in control groups |
| Precise description of the control or comparator. If sham acupuncture or any other type of acupuncture-like control is used, provide details as for items 1 to 3 above | The allocation for control groups (Groups 2∼4) will be decided by randomization (Group 2)
1) Park Sham Device: 0.25 × 40 mm sterilized stainless steel needle (Park Sham Device, AcuPrime, Exeter, UK) will be used
Group 3: Real Streitberger’s needle; 0.25 × 40 mm sterilized stainless steel needle (Asia-med GmbH & Co. KG, Kirchplatz 1, Germany)
Group 4: verum acupuncture needle; 0.25 × 40 mm sterilized stainless steel needle (Dong Bang Acupuncture, Gyeonggi-do, Korea). After puncture, remove immediately without retention
The appearance, acupuncture point, stimulation method, and duration will be the same as the real acupuncture group (Group 1)
Besides using sham needle tools, all procedures are the same, including acupuncture therapy, stimulation method, and frequency of stimulation |
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