Objectives: Hemiplegic shoulder pain is one of the common sequelae of stroke. Although many different methods of treatment are applied, none have yet been proved to be effective. In this study we assessed the effectiveness of bee venom in patients with shoulder pain after stroke.
Methods: This study was a double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. All subjects received either 0.6 ml bee venom injection (venom:saline = 1:10000) or 0.6ml physiological saline solution (placebo) at three acupoints. The effectiveness was assessed by visual analogue scale, pain rating score, Fugl-Meyer assessment and passive external rotation.
Results: There were 24 patients in the venom group and 22 patients in the placebo group. The venom group showed more effectiveness in VAS and PRS than the placebo group.
Conclusions: This study suggests that bee venom injection has significant analgesic effect on hemiplegic shoulder pain. Further study based on multi-centers, larger population, and long term follow-up is needed to confirm this suggestion.