• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.133-140
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• 2009

Purpose：To investigate the effect of the home exercise program on pain, scoliosis, pelvic alignment of low back in chronic back pain patients, and suggest optimal method for home exercise program. Methods：I divided into two groups who has chronic back pain; one is control group who was given a treatment at the hospital only and the other is experimental group who did another exercise after treatment at the hospital, and there were 10 people in each group. The manual therapy were given to all the patients in each group after applying a stupe and an electric treatment, but the experimental group conducted another exercise program at homes. All the exercise programs were applied to patients 12 times for 4 weeks totally. Results：SPSS for win version 12 was used for statistic analysis and independent t-test was used to find changes between two groups. VAS scale was used to show changes in pain between each group. The grade of pain was decreased between pre&post test to -5.60 in control group and -4.80 in experimental group but there wasn't significant difference between each group. Cobb's degree was used to compare the changes of scoliosis in lumbar and it was improved in each group but there wasn't significant difference between each group. The measurement of pelvic misalignment was decreased between pre&post test to -1.00 in control group and -2.00 in experimental group but it wasn't enough to show significant difference between each group. Conclusion：As you read the results above, for a chronic low back pain patient, application of the manual therapy showed that it has effect on decrease of low back pain, improvement of scoliosis in lumbar and pelvic misalignment. However, the effect of home exercise treatment was not sure about improvements for chronic low back pain patient. So I think there should need further study about the effect of home exercise treatment except the treatments at hospital and the thorough education for the exercise of lumbar should be done before the study for the accurate experiment.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1683-1686
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• 2018

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common reason for seeking physical therapy (PT) care. Recent studies suggest that axial loading can have a positive impact on the intervertebral disc by improving its tensile strength. Further, whole body vibration (WBV) appears to improve spinal muscle relaxation. Therefore, this case study describes the use of axial loading using a mini-trampoline in a female with chronic LBP. This case report is a single subject design. This patient is a 29-year-old female with a six-month history of low back pain following a motor vehicle accident. MRI found herniated discs at L4 and L5, clinical tests were positive for pain in the L4 and L5 dermatome and myotome the slump test was positive for neural tension, and LBP was constant at 4-6/10 over the past four months. She received axial loading exercises using a mini-trampoline and performed six sessions that were, scheduled twice a week for three weeks. Her Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score improved from 40% at the time of her first visit to 22% at her final visit. Pain measure on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) after the first treatment was 7/10, and her pain after the final treatment was 0/10. These changes in the pain scores are clinically significant and exceed the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). This patient had a significant improvement in her pain using the NPRS and the ODI. This case study suggests that axial loading may be an effective treatment for some individuals with discogenic chronic low back pain.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.187-196
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Moxa Pellet therapy on chronic low back pain. Methods: Subjects were voluntarily recruited by newspapers and internet. The Moxa Pellet therapy was performed for 4 weeks. Patients were randomized to three groups: Moxa Pellets, Control-l and Control-2 group. Moxa Pellets group administered with Moxa Pellets, Control-l group administered with moxa pellet-shaped moxa pellet without available components and Control-2 group administered with round bonded fabric that could not give pressing stimulation. Acupuncture points used in this study were $GV_3$, $BL_{23}$, $BL_{24}$, $BL_{25}$ and $BL_{22}$. The patient's symptoms were assessed before and after 4 weeks treatments by VAS, SF-MPQ and SF- 36. Results : The results are follows; 1. VAS score showed significant difference in Moxa Pellet group and Control-l group after treatment. 2. SF-MPQ score showed significant difference only in Moxa Pellet group. 3. Moxa Pellet group showed significant difference in PF, RE, MR, and BP of SF- 36 score after treatment; Control-l group showed no significant difference; Control-2 group showed significant difference in BP. There were no significant difference among the groups. Conclusions : This study suggests that Moxa Pellet therapy can be applicable to improve symptoms in the patients with chronic low back pain. Further studies on the Moxa Pellet therapy and other treatment in the patients with chronic low back pain is recommended.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.317-322
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• 2022

Gold thread therapy (GTT) continuously stimulates acupoints and is used to treat chronic conditions/diseases such as chronic lumbar pain. During the procedure gold thread is embedded into the skin and although gold thread is medically pure, GTT is an irreversible treatment where there is limited evidence on its safety. Here, we report a case of a 79-year-old woman being treated for low back pain who developed side effects following moving cupping therapy at a site of GTT (performed in the 1970s). Adverse reactions causing radiating pain persisted more than at least 9 days following moving cupping therapy. The symptoms of pain were evaluated using the numerical rating scale, and changes in tenderness and the state of bruising was recorded. Low back pain improved but the radiating low leg pain did not improve. This case highlights the need for caution when performing moving cupping therapy where GTT has been previously performed.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.3-6
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• 2010

The British guideline for early management of persistent low back pain, published in 2009, indicated that physicians should offer exercise or medication, rather than radiological interventions or injections, as first choice of treatment in the patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, there had been great controversies regarding the effectiveness of interventional treatment of patients with CLBP. Both somatic (discogenic, instability, etc) and psychosocial factors contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic low back pain (CLBP). Although it can be difficult in many occasions, thorough interview with the patients and specific diagnostic approaches can help us to identify which is the main etiology in individual patient. With the recent progress in medical radiology and development of new therapeutic modalities, some subgroups of patients of CLBP caused by somatic factors appear to be good candidates of interventional therapy. Interventional therapy can be considered in patients with CLBP caused by annulus rupture, facet joint degeneration, disc degeneration, and vertebral column instability. Among other subgroups of CLBP, carefully selected patients with disc degeneration show the most favorable result by interventional therapy. In this regard, discogenic pain, either as a form of CLBP or acute discogenic radiculopathy, seems to be a good indication of interventional therapy. Because many spine specialists generally consider those with radiculopathy are easier to be treated, patients with CLBP tend to be subjects of conventional conservative therapy. For these reasons, clinicians should make their best effort to identify every possible somatic cause in patients with CLBP before regarding them as hypochondriacs. In this review, some of the recent evidence on the role of interventional treatment in patients with CLBP will be discussed, and some of our cases who showed favorable results by interventional therapy will be presented.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.256-261
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• 2006

Objective : The goal of this study was to establish the benefit and prognostic factors of lumbar medial branch block[MBB] for low back pain. Methods : A retrospective analysis was based on the data obtained from 281 patients with low back pain, who visited our hospital between January 2001 and November 2004. Pain relief was evaluated at 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months. The authors analyzed the results of MBB according to the patient's age, sex, symptom duration, pathologic condition, and presence of radiating pain. Results : Two hundred eighty one patients had sprain [151]. lumbar fracture [27], spinal stenosis [50], herniated lumbar disc [24] acute post-operative pain [8], and chronic post-operative pain [21] with success rate of 63.6%, 59.3%, 26.0%, 25.0%, 87.5% and 42.9%, respectively. The effects of MBB in sprain, lumbar fracture, and acute post-operative pain were significantly better than those in stenosis, herniated lumbar disc and chronic post-operative pain patients. The patients in young age group [<60 years], with short symptom duration [<6 months] and without radiating pain showed good response to lumbar MBB. Conclusion : The lumbar MBB appears to be safe and effective for low back pain in certain selected patients. Good prognostic factors were low back pain without surgical conditions and radiating pain, with short symptom duration [<6 months], and in relatively young age [<60 years] group.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.147-157
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• 2020

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of active release technique and lumbar stabilization exercise on pelvic asymmetry, muscle activation and pain in chronic low back pain patients. Methods : The subjects were 37 outpatients diagnosed with chronic low back pain. The patients were randomly divided into an active release technique therapy group (ART; n=18), and lumbar stabilization exercise group (LSE; n=19). These groups performed their respective therapy for a 30-minute session occurring two times a week over six-weeks period. To assess the patients' pelvic asymmetry, their pelvic tilt, and pelvic rotation was measured using X-ray imaging. EMG was used to evaluate the muscle activity of the lumbar muscle. The visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to measure the subjects' pain. Results : Both ART group, and LSE group exhibited statistically significant differences in their subjects' VAS and muscle activation of lumbar muscle after the therapy (p<.05). In ART group exhibited statistically significant decreases in their subjects' pelvic tilt and pelvic rotation after therapy (p<.05). There was a significant difference between the ART group, and LSE group (p<.05). Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that active release technique and lumbar stabilization exercise are effective in decrease pain and increase muscle activation in chronic low back pain patient. In addition active release technique is considered to be more effective in improving pelvic tilt and pelvic rotation than lumbar stabilization exercise.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.19-27
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• 2009

Background: To study the effect of the home exercise program on pain, flexibility, endurance of extensor in chronic back pain patients, and suggest optimal method for home exercise program. Methods: I divided into two groups who has chronic back pain; one is control group who was given a treatment at the hospital only and the other is experimental group who did another exercise after treatment at the hospital, and there were 10 people in each group. The manual therapy were given to all the patients in each group after applying a stupe and an electric treatment, but the experimental group conducted another exercise program at homes. All the exercise programs were applied to patients 12 times for 4 weeks totally. Result: SPSS for win version 12 was used for statistic analysis and independent t-test was used to find changes between two groups. VAS scale was used to show changes in pain between each group. The grade of pain was decreased between pre&post test to -5.60 in control group and -4.80 in experimental group but there wasn't significant difference between each group. Finger tip-to-floor test was used for the flexibility changes and it was increased between pre&post test in both groups but the change of flexibility between each groups didn't show statistical difference. Biering-Sorensen test was used to measure the endurance of extensor and it was increased between pre&post test in both groups but there wasn't significant difference between each group. Conclusion: As you read the results above, for a chronic low back pain patient, application of the manual therapy showed that it has effect on decrease of low back pain, increase of flexibility and endurance of extensor. However, the effect of home exercise treatment was not sure about improvements for chronic low back pain patient. So I think there should need further study about the effect of home exercise treatment except the treatments at hospital and the thorough education for the exercise of lumbar should be done before the study for the accurate experiment.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.49-52
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• 2021

Bertolotti's syndrome (BS) refers to chronic low back pain (LBP) associated with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV). Many studies suggest that the anomalous articulation alters biomechanics, resulting in discomfort on the ipsilateral side. Herein, we present an unusual case of BS presenting pain on the non-articulated side. A 46-year-old man visited our clinic with history of chronic LBP, refractory to treatment of analgesics, modalities and manual therapies. Electrodiagnostic studies showed no evidence of lumbosacral radiculopathy. Radiographies noted unilateral pseudoarticulation of L5~S1 vertebrae, on the contralateral side of his pain. The pain improved dramatically after sacroiliac joint block and facet joint block with iliolumbar ligament infiltration on the non-articulated side. Clinicians should be cautious that the unaffected joint in BS may serve an important role in altered lumbopelvic biomechanism, since it might eventually lead to intractable chronic LBP when overlooked.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.41-50
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to know that Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) score to effect on improvement degree of low back pain after oriental medical treatment. Methods : We analyzed charts of 33 inpatients who were treated in Ja-Seng Hospital of Oriental Medicine and Bu-Cheon Ja-seng Hospital of Oriental Medicine. Subject is divided into Group A(BDI<10) and Group B(BDI${\geqq}$10). Numerical Rating Scale(NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index(ODI) were checked on admission, after 1 week, NRS and ODI were rechecked to estimate the efficacy of treatments. Results : 1. In both groups, NRS was significantly decreased(p<0.05). Analyzed result of the interaction between the two groups didn't show significant difference(p=0.197). 2. In Group A, ODI was significantly decresed(p<0.05). In Group B, ODI wasn't significantly decreased(p=0.058). The interaction analysis between the two groups didn't show significant difference(p=0.173). 3. Analyzing patients with chronic back pain longer than 6 months by the presence of depression tendency and NRS, ODI decrease after 1 week of ambulation, while the NRS reduction showed relevancy by the depression tendency (p<0.05), the ODI reduction didn't(p=0.272). Conclusions : 1. Although improvement of pain before and after the treatment and degree of functional recovery in high-level BDI group was less than low-level BDI group, but it was stastically insignificant. 2. High BDI score of patients with chronic low back pain is the factor of disturbing pain improvement.