Speech after stroke (aphasia and dysarthria)

For word-finding trouble, slurred speech and the frustration of both after a stroke or brain injury. Scalp acupuncture over the speech areas and the Xing Nao Kai Qiao system, alongside your speech-language pathologist.

Book a visit

Read through

BothWesternClassical

Two lenses, one plan

Fire 火 is the phase it is most often read through. Here the Western lens leads, with the classical lens alongside.

The Western lensAnatomy, physiology, biomechanics

Language areas and the speech muscles

Language is handled mainly in networks on the left side of the brain, toward the front for producing speech and further back for understanding it. Dysarthria comes from damage to the motor pathways, the cerebellum or the nerves that drive the tongue, lips and throat.

Types of aphasia: Expressive aphasia leaves speech halting and effortful with understanding fairly intact. Receptive aphasia leaves speech fluent but hard to follow. Anomic aphasia is mostly trouble finding names and words.
Practice drives change: The brain's capacity to reroute language seems to respond to intensive, repeated practice, which is why speech work is planned for the time the needles are in.
Swallowing: The same muscles that shape speech help you swallow. Coughing with drinks or a wet voice after eating is worth raising with your speech therapist.

The classical lensChannels, patterns, the five phases

The tongue, sprout of the Heart

The Heart opens into the tongue, 心開竅於舌, and speech depends on the shen reaching it freely. After a stroke, wind and phlegm block the orifices and the channels to the tongue, and in later stages qi deficiency with blood stasis keeps the channels from filling.

Stiff tongue: The classics single out aphasia with a stiff tongue as its own presentation, read as phlegm in the channels, and the points at the throat and under the chin follow from that.

Patterns we often see

Wind-phlegm blocking the channels fēng tán zǔ luò 風痰阻絡
Phlegm misting the orifices of the Heart tán mí xīn qiào 痰迷心竅
Qi deficiency with blood stasis qì xū xuè yū 氣虛血瘀

Patterns are examples of how this is often read, never a diagnosis. Yours is read at your visit.

How we work: one plan

Scalp acupuncture over the speech areas with the Xing Nao Kai Qiao system and electro-acupuncture when appropriate, speech practice in the office while the needles are in, and homework between visits. It follows the stroke recovery approach, alongside your neurologist and speech-language pathologist.

Two different speech problems

Aphasia is a problem with language. Thinking and intelligence are intact, but the bridge from thought to word is damaged: the right word will not come, sentences break apart, or what others say is hard to follow. Dysarthria is a problem with the machinery of speech. The person knows exactly what they want to say, but the tongue, lips, jaw, throat and breath are weak or poorly coordinated, so words come out slurred, slow or breathy. Both often follow a stroke, and dysarthria can also come with brain injury, Parkinson's disease or MS. Many people have some of each, and your speech-language pathologist sorts out which.

A sudden change in speech

New slurring, new trouble finding words or a sudden inability to understand speech is a stroke warning sign. Call 911 first. Our work belongs to the rehabilitation phase.

How we work with it

Speech care here follows the stroke approach. Scalp acupuncture places needles over the speech areas: the lower part of the motor strip for the face, tongue and lips, zones toward the temple tied to understanding language, and, for slurred or poorly timed speech, zones at the back of the head over the cerebellum. The Xing Nao Kai Qiao system adds its core body points, with points at the throat and under the chin traditionally used for a stiff tongue. Electro-acupuncture is added when appropriate.

While the needles are in, we practice: naming, repetition, reading aloud, tongue and lip drills, using material from your speech therapist. You leave with homework, reviewed and progressed at each visit. We agree on what to watch, such as a word list, how well a stranger understands you on the phone, or how long a sentence holds together.

Questions people ask

Can acupuncture help speech after a stroke?

Scalp acupuncture and the Xing Nao Kai Qiao system are used in stroke rehabilitation for speech, and research is ongoing. We cannot promise that speech will return, and no one honestly can. We work alongside your speech-language pathologist and track concrete changes with you.

Should I keep seeing my speech therapist?

Yes. Speech-language therapy leads speech rehabilitation. Bring us what your therapist is working on, and we use the same material for practice while the needles are in.

Can a family member come to the visit?

Please do. A family member or caregiver helps with history, hears the homework, and is often the first to notice a new word or a clearer sentence at home.

Does scalp acupuncture hurt?

The needles lie almost flat under the scalp, and most people feel a dull pressure at most. You can talk and practice speech while they are in, which is the point.

This is general wellness information, not medical advice.

Ready when you are.

Book online in a couple of minutes, at either clinic.

Book a visit