Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of alternating cooling and heating whirlpool bath on patients with shoulder-hand syndrome in stage I after stroke. Methods 60 patients with shoulder-hand syndrome in stage I after stroke were randomly divided into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30). The control group received comprehensive rehabilitation training including exercise therapy, concentric winding, joint mobilization and ideation training, 30 minutes every time, twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The observation group received alternating cooling (12~15 ℃) and heating (37~43 ℃) whirlpool bath treatment 20 minutes every time in addition, twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), hand drainage volume, modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Barthel Index (BI) were used to assess the upper limb pain, the degree of edema, muscle tension, motor function and activities of daily living. Results Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the scores of VAS, MAS, FMA and BI, and the hand drainage volume between 2 groups (P>0.05). 4 weeks after treatment, all the indexes improved in both groups (P<0.05), and were better in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion The effect of alternating cooling and heating whirlpool bath may further improve the symptoms of shoulder-hand syndrome in stage I after stroke.

Key words: stroke, shoulder-hand syndrome, alternating cooling and heating whirlpool bath, rehabilitation training