Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of Chinese herbal fumigation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on upper limb motor dysfunction in hemiplegic patients with shoulder pain. Methods Sixty stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Guangdong Medical University Affiliated Hospital (inpatient and outpatient departments) from September 2023 to May 2024 were allocated into four groups: conventional group (n = 16), rTMS group (n = 15), herbal fumigation group (n = 15), and combined intervention group (rTMS + herbal fumigation, n = 14). All groups received 40-minute conventional rehabilitation therapy. The rTMS group received additional 20-minute rTMS, the herbal fumigation group received 20-minute herbal fumigation, while the combined group received both adjunctive therapies. Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated using Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Fugl-meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after 12 days of treatment. Results NRS scores were significantly decreased, while FMA and MBI scores increased in all groups after treatment, especially in rTMS + herbal fumigation group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Combined use of herbal fumigation and rTMS can significantly improve the shoulder pain, quality of life and upper limb motor function in hemiplegic patients.