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A Severe Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Patient Treated with Integrative Korean Medicine Including Acupuncture, Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture and Herbal Medicine: a case report

  • An, Da-young (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University) ;
  • Kim, Chae-eun (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University) ;
  • Han, Suzy (Department of Sasang Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University) ;
  • Kim, Mi-kyung (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University) ;
  • Yu, Jun-Sang (Department of Sasang Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University) ;
  • Sun, Seung-ho (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University)
  • Received : 2022.02.26
  • Accepted : 2022.04.04
  • Published : 2022.06.30

Abstract

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is common in elderly people and severe CSM patients are recommended to receive surgery. However, in some cases, surgery may fail to improve the patients' symptoms. An 80-year-old man diagnosed with CSM complained of right hemiplegia and right arm and leg pain with the presence of a Foley catheter, despite treatment with laminectomy and laminoplasty. Acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine were administered for 129 days. As a result, manual muscle testing (MMT) and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) improved, the pain in his right arm and leg decreased, and he was able to urinate by himself. This case report implies that integrative Korean medicine (IKM) can be an option for patients suffering from muscular weakness resulting from myelopathy.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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