EFFECTIVENESS OF EARLY REHABILITATION NURSING AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE COLD THERAPY IN ENHANCING SWALLOWING FUNCTION RECOVERY IN ATHLETES POST-STROKE

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to assess the impact of combining early rehabilitation nursing with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cold stimulation on swallowing function recovery in athletes who have suffered a stroke. Methods: From January 2022 to January 2023, 74 athletes who had experienced a stroke and exhibited swallowing dysfunction were enrolled and randomized into two groups: a control group (37 participants) receiving standard early rehabilitation nursing and an observation group (37 participants) receiving additional TCM cold stimulation. The outcomes measured included clinical efficacy, the severity of swallowing dysfunction, TCM symptom scores, hyolaryngeal movement, and quality of life. Results: The observation group displayed a significantly higher overall treatment effectiveness rate of 91.89% compared to 72.97% in the control group (P<0.05). Post-intervention assessments showed that the observation group had significantly lower scores in standardized drinking water tests and improved scores in dysphagia severity, hemiplegia symptoms, and tongue and cough functions (P<0.05 for all). Additionally, hyolaryngeal complex movement and quality of life scores were better in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). Adverse events were also fewer in the observation group at 5.41% compared to 21.62% in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Early rehabilitation nursing coupled with TCM cold stimulation notably enhances swallowing function recovery in athletes’ post-stroke, improves quality of life, and reduces the incidence of adverse effects. This approach is recommended for clinical application.