Background:Fire-needle acupuncture,an important kind of acupuncture therapy,has been clinically used to treat upper limb spastic paralysis (ULSP) after stroke.Clinical experience has indicated that fire-needle acupuncture treatment takes less time,requires fewer visits,and has more rapid results and fewer side effects compared to chemical medicine altatives.This study will evaluate the effects of fire-needle acupuncture for ULSP in the context of standardized clinical research and provide high-quality data to inform clinical procedures and future study design.Methods/Design:A randomized controlled trial will be carried out to evaluate the effects of fire-needle acupuncture therapy in patients with ULSP from stroke.ULSP patients (n =120) will be recruited at Changhai Hospital in Shanghai,China.Patients will be randomly divided into three groups,including fire-needle acupuncture group (FAG),filiform-needle acupuncture group (FFAG) and rehabilitation treatment group (RTG).During the 3-week treatment,the FAG will be treated every two days,while FFAG and RTG will be treated 5 d in a row and then rest for 2 d.The Simplified Fugl-Meyer Motor Function Scale and Modified Ashworth Scale will be used as the primary outcome measures.Statistical analysis will be conducted by an independent statistician.Discussion:Through this study,the utility of fire-needle acupuncture in treating ULSP after stroke will be tested,and some specific claims of fire-needle acupuncture therapy will be evaluated,such as relieving spasm and muscular tension,improving activities of daily living,rapidity of response and less frequency of treatment compared with other treatments.