Post-Stroke Rehabilitation (Hemiplegia)

How Chinese medicine differentiates post-stroke hemiplegia, the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. This covers the rehabilitation phase after a stroke has already been medically diagnosed and stabilized; acupuncture here is a complementary, not a replacement, approach.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for post-stroke rehabilitation — 11 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen, tonifies Qi and Blood.
SP-10	Cools Blood, invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
BL-17	Gathering (Hui) point for Blood — moves Blood.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen, nourishes Blood and Yin.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (Yin and Yang). Strengthens Essence.
BL-18	Nourishes Liver-Blood. Moves Liver-Qi. Benefits the sinews.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang, extinguishes interior Wind.
G.B.-20	Expels exterior Wind, extinguishes interior Wind, subdues Liver-Yang.
ST-40	Resolves Phlegm and Dampness, subdues rebellious Qi.
G.B.-34	Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Benefits the sinews. Removes obstruction from the channel.
P-6	Opens the chest and moves Qi and Blood. Calms the Mind.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Qi Deficiency Causing Blood Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Flaccid limb weakness; fatigue; a dusky or pale complexion; numbness; spontaneous sweating with exertion.

Tongue: Pale-dark or pale-purple, stasis spots, teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Deep, Fine, weak, Choppy.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, unblocking the channels and collaterals.

Tonify Qi

ST-36 ↑

Invigorate Blood

SP-10 ↓ BL-17 ↓

Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify-Qi point. No deck on this site combines Qi deficiency with Blood stagnation as its own picture, so no pattern link is given here.

2. Yin and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Spastic paralysis with muscle tightness; muscle wasting; a dry mouth and throat; night sweats; five-center heat; dizziness.

Tongue: Pale to pale-red, thin, dry, cracks, scanty coating. Pulse: Fine, Rapid.

Treatment principle: Relax spasms, nourish Yin and generate fluids, harmonizing the Liver and Spleen.

SP-6 ↑ KI-3 ↑ BL-18 ↑

Note: no moxa. No deck on this site combines Yin deficiency with Blood deficiency into one named pattern, so no pattern link is given here.

3. Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: One-sided limb weakness or spasticity; dizziness with tinnitus; dry eyes with blurred vision; lower back and knee soreness/weakness; night sweats with internal heat.

Tongue: Red, thin, cracks, little or no coating. Pulse: Fine, Rapid, Wiry.

Treatment principle: Calm the Liver, extinguish Wind, subdue floating Yang and nourish Yin.

Subdue Wind

LR-3 ↓ G.B.-20 ↓

Nourish Yin

KI-3 ↑

Note: no moxa. Direct match with Kidney- and Liver-Yin deficiency — dry eyes, dizziness/tinnitus and night sweating are shared.

4. Wind-Phlegm

Clinical manifestations: Sudden one-sided weakness; a heavy or numb sensation; slurred speech; copious white frothy sputum; dizziness or vertigo.

Tongue: Normal or slightly pale, swollen, teeth marks, white greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, Slippery.

Treatment principle: Dry Dampness and expel Phlegm, move Qi and disperse the Wind-Phlegm obstructing the channels.

ST-40 ↓ G.B.-34 ↓

Note: no moxa. No deck on this site combines Wind and Phlegm into one named pattern, so no pattern link is given here.

5. Heart and Spleen Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Flaccid limb weakness; palpitations; sleep disturbance; a poor appetite with bloating; fatigue; a sallow, pale complexion; loose stools.

Tongue: Pale, tender, teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine, weak.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, nourish Blood and strengthen the Spleen.

P-6 ↑ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑

Note: moxa applicable. Matches Spleen- and Heart-Blood deficiency — palpitations, poor appetite and loose stools share the same combined-deficiency mechanism.

Related conditions

Spot an error, or have more to add? Send it to admin on WhatsApp and it'll be corrected/added here.

+91 99083 14510