Ischaemic stroke frequently results in long-term complications that disrupt patients’ functional capacity and overall quality of life, with shoulder pain being among the most prominent and disabling sequelae. This type of pain typically manifests within the first 3 months following the cerebrovascular event, with reported rates varying from 25% to 72%. During this early stage—marked by heightened neuroplastic activity—post-stroke shoulder pain can hinder motor recovery, prolong hospitalization, contribute to depressive symptoms, restrict movement, and negatively influence treatment outcomes. In Vietnam, Traditional Medicine (TM) has long served as a foundational approach for addressing post-stroke shoulder pain. However, the literature describing the Traditional Medicine pathology and symptom patterns of Jian Tong after stroke remains insufficient. Consequently, the objective of this study was to assess the severity and symptom characteristics of Jian Tong in individuals experiencing shoulder pain after ischaemic stroke. This investigation was carried out from January 1, 2023, to May 1, 2023, and consisted of two sequential stages. Phase 1 involved an extensive review of TM literature, from which 17 Jian Tong features were extracted and coded to construct the questionnaire used in Phase 2. Phase 2 employed a cross-sectional design to document the Traditional Medicine characteristics of Jian Tong among 65 early-rehabilitation patients recovering from ischaemic stroke.
During the first phase, 17 Jian Tong characteristics were identified from 10 classical and modern TM sources. In the second phase, findings from 65 surveyed patients showed that pain aggravated by exertion was the most prevalent feature, while symptoms such as cold-relieved pain and shoulder distension were observed least frequently. Both Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain scores and gender exhibited statistically significant associations with Traditional Medicine Jian Tong characteristics (p < 0.05). This work outlines the severity and symptom profile of Jian Tong in individuals with ischaemic stroke during early rehabilitation, offering valuable insight to support individualized Traditional Medicine–based diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic planning for post-stroke shoulder pain.
