Introduction. Individuals affected by stroke often lead to loss of autonomy, dependence in activities of daily living, and social disruption, possibly leading to a reduced quality of life. Most survivors present residual sensory-motor deficits that interfere with the performance of functional activities. Reducing complications and improving the functional recovery of these individuals is an important starting point for rehabilitation professionals. Objective. To analyze the effect of the new Yamamoto scalp acupuncture (SA) YNSA on Qi, 5 elements and acupuncture of meridians in chronic stroke patients. Method. This is a quasi-experimental pilot study composed of nine chronic stroke patients. All participants diagnosed with chronic stroke aged from 38 to 79 years underwent energetic electrodiagnosis. Patients received a SA session on the contralateral hemisphere of the damaged side corresponding to the motor and sensory area for 30 minutes. The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied, followed by the paired t-test. Results: There was a significant reduction in the Yin, Fire (Pericarium) and Fire (heart). The following organs and viscera also presented a reduction: lung, right pericardium, left small intestine, and right spleen. Conclusions. It is concluded that AE YNSA can promote Qi balance, reduction in the fire element and reduction in the action of some acupuncture meridians in chronic stroke patients in the analysed sample.

Objective: To verify the effect of foot reflexology on the electrical muscle activity of the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscle, and to examine the distribution, plantar pressure, and body sway in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This pilot randomized controlled trial enrolled 17 volunteers who were clinically diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The sample was assigned to one of two groups: the control group (CG, n = 7), who received information on foot care and health, and the intervention group (IG, n = 10), who received the application of foot reflexology on specific areas of the feet, for 10 consecutive days. There was blinding of the evaluator and the therapist. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to assess the electrical activity of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles in maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and isotonic contraction (IC); baropodometry and stabilometry were used to analyze unloading, plantar weight distribution, and body sway. Results: There was a statistically significant difference for the variables of maximum peak electrical activity of the left medial gastrocnemius (p = 0.03; effect size = 0.87 and power = 0.81) and left lateral gastrocnemius muscles (p = 0.04, effect size = 0.70 and power = 0.66) respectively, in the intragroup IC, and median frequency of the left medial gastrocnemius muscle in the intragroup MVIC (p = 0.03; effect size = 0.64 and power = 0.59), and in the variables intergroups of the total area on the right side (p = 0.04; effect size = 1.03 and power = 0.50) and forefoot area on the left side (p = 0.02; effect size = 0.51 and power = 0.16). Conclusions: We conclude that foot reflexology influenced some variables of the intergroup plantar distribution and intragroup EMG in the sample studied. There is a need for a placebo group, a larger sample and a follow-up to strengthen the findings of these experiments.

Introduction: Different therapeutic approaches aim to mitigate the consequences caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), among them the foot reflexology (FR), therapeutic and integrative method of easy application and low cost that uses pressure stimuli in reflex areas of the foot. Objective: the objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of FR on pain, discharge and weight distribution (DWD) in the foot in patients with DM2. Method: This is a controlled and randomized clinical trial. The study was carried out at the physiotherapy clinic of the UNIFAL.The sample consisted of 17 volunteers, of both sexes, with a clinical diagnosis of DM2. The volunteers were allocated into two groups: control group (n= 7), which received information about the care and health of the foot and intervention group (n = 10), which received the application of foot reflexology in specific areas of the foot, for ten consecutive days. For the evaluation and reevaluation, the following were used: visual analogue scale (VAS), baropodometry (DWD) on the foot. For statistical analysis we used the Shapiro-Wilk test, ANOVA with 1 factor for continuous variables and Chi-square for categorical variables. The Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon test for variable EVA ANOVA test repeated DWD measurement on the foot. Results: There was a significant improvement in pain symptoms (p=0.01), and in DDP in the feet, there was no significant improvement (p≤0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that the FR influenced the improvement of pain symptoms, but did not have any effect on the improvement in the DWD in the foot in patients with DM2.