Table 1.

The initial draft of the search strategy with PubMed as an example.

Number	Search terms
1	Mesh descriptor: (cerebral infarction) explode all trees
2	Mesh descriptor: (cerebrovascular accident) explode all trees
3	Mesh descriptor: (infarction stroke) explode all trees
4	((cerebral infarction∗) or (cerebral∗) or (cerebral next infarction∗) or (infarction∗) or (infarction stroke∗) or (infarction apoplexy∗)):ti, ab, kw
5	Mesh descriptor: (extremities) explode all trees
6	Mesh descriptor: (hemiplegia) explode all trees
7	Mesh descriptor: (paralysis) explode all trees
8	((extremities∗) or (hemiplegia∗) or (paralysis∗) or (limb∗) or (limbs∗) or (extremities hemiplegia∗) or (extremities paralysis∗) or (limb paralysis∗) or (limb hemiplegia∗) or (limbs paralysis∗) or (limbs hemiplegia∗)):ti, ab, kw
9	Or 1-8
10	MeSH descriptor: (acupuncture) explode all trees
11	MeSH descriptor: (acupuncture therapy) explode all trees
12	((acupuncture∗) or (acupuncture therapy∗) or (therapy∗) or (manual acupuncture∗) or (electroacupuncture∗) o r (fire needling∗) or (warm needling∗) or (scalp acupuncture∗) or (auricular acupuncture∗) or (intradermal needling∗)):ti, ab, kw
13	Or 10-12
14	MeSH descriptor: (rehabilitation) explode all trees
15	MeSH descriptor: (education) explode all trees
16	((rehabilitation∗) or (education∗) or (training∗) or (rehabilitation training∗) or (rehabilitation education∗)):ti, ab, kw
17	Or 14-16
18	MeSH descriptor: (randomized controlled trials) explode all trees
19	MeSH descriptor: (controlled) explode all trees
20	MeSH descriptor: (clinical trialsl) explode all trees
21	((random∗) or (allocation∗) or (random allocation∗) or (placebo∗) or (single blind∗) or (double blind∗) or (randomized control trial∗) or (RCT∗) o r (clinical trials∗) or (controlled clinical trials∗)):ti, ab, kw
22	Or 18–21
23	9 and 13 and 17 and 22