• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 2013

Objectives Lumbago is very common symptoms and many lumbago patients visited Korean Medicine clinic to cure lumbago. But It is not studied therapy type and pattern identification in lumbago patients. This study aim to survey therapy type and pattern identification in lumbago patients. Methods We collected data of 755 patients treated to cure lumbago in Korean Medicine Hospital from 1, Jan. to 31, Dec., 2012. The therapy variable are acupuncture, herbal acupuncture, physical therapy, Chuna Tx, herbal medicine, cupping and moxibustion. Demographic variable are age, gender, district, medical insurance code, and etc. Results 1) We collected data of 755 lumbago patients in 5 Korean medical Hospitals. 2) Age, district, insurance code, diseases were statistically significant by pattern identification. 3) Therapy types of lumbago patients were different by pattern identification. Conclusions In lumbago patients, therapy type and herbal medicine were different by Pattern identification. In the future, it is needed prospective and large scale database for pattern identification in lumbago patients.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.103-120
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• 2008

Objectives : This study aims to educate clinical doctors of the valuable practice of Manipulative Therapy(MT) as an opportunity for evidence-based medicine. Consequently it also serves to review the effectiveness and safety of MT. Methods : The literature studies of overseas were done by Cochrane Library and Medline website; those of domestic researches were completed by utilizing the sources which are gained from KERIS, KISS, DBpia, Kisti, and domestic institutes related with MT. Results : Eight papers related to the effectiveness of MT were published in South Korea, which concluded with the positive effects of MT. None of them are, however, well-designed randomized controlled trials(RCT). On the other hand, fifteen cases of nine articles indicate the adverse reaction of MT, and numbers of the researches in overseas revealed the side effects of MT in order of cervical, lumbar, and thoracic vertebrae. A vascular adverse reaction such as vertebral and carotid artery dissection was a highly reported cervical adverse reaction; in the thoracic and lumbar regions, neurological adverse reaction in terms of disc hemiation was frequently discovered. Conclusions : Henceforth, highly qualitative studies are required developing the effective outcomes and preventing any possible complications of MT. Therefore, systemic curriculums in institutions and sufficient clinical training in the filed are strongly recommended.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

Objectives The present study examined the recent domestic and international trends of non-surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods The studies on non-surgical treatment of LSS were investigated via searching Korean web databases and PubMed. As a result, 39 studies were analyzed according to the authors, the types of study, the relationship to surgical treatment and the method of treatment. Results The first authors' occupations were identified as 17 doctors, 12 Korean medicine doctors, six physiotherapists, three chiropractic doctors and one doctor of science. The most common type of study in Korea was the case report and most of the studies were retrospective. Overseas, there were many prospective or experimental studies including randomized controlled trials (RCT). In Korea, non-surgical treatment was performed independently of surgical treatment in most cases. Among non-surgical treatments, the most researched treatment was traditional Korean medicine (TKM), followed by injection therapy, exercise therapy, and physical therapy. Conclusions Through this review, we can determine the effectiveness of TKM and its research direction. TKM should be studied experimentally including RCT and it should be conducted not only on acupuncture, but also on other treatment methods such as acupotomy, chuna, and herbal medicine. It is also necessary to conduct studies on TKM before and after surgery to compare the effects of surgery and TKM together, as well the effects on non-surgical treatments.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.13-26
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• 2024

Objectives This study aimed to examine the efficacy of Korean traditional medicine treatments for recurrent lumbar disc herniation by analyzing randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods The following 6 databases were used Korean studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, ScienceON, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Only RCTs were selected. The risk of bias was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Results A total of 10 RCTs were analyzed, which utilized 8 types of interventions, including acupuncture, moxibustion, warm needling, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, and chuna manual therapy. Acupuncture and moxibustion were the most frequently used treatments. There were 7 outcome measures, including the effective rate, visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association. The effective rate was assessed in all studies. Meta-analysis results indicated that warm needling therapy and traditional Chinese medicine interventions were more effective compared with the control. Conclusions In this study, warm needling therapy and herbal medicine interventions demonstrated beneficial effects. As the meta-analysis was conducted with only a subset of RCT studies, further large-scale, systematic RCT studies are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.392-400
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• 2017

Objective: To report the case of a patient suffering from cervical vertigo who was treated with a combination of Korean medicine treatments (including acupuncture, pharmaco-acupuncture, and Chuna manual therapy). Method: An outpatient with cervical vertigo was given a combination of Korean medicine treatments five times, from December 5 to 16, 2016. All of the treatments, acupuncture with electric stimulation and pharmaco-acupuncture, were applied on the trigger points (TP) of the cervical muscles and the upper trapezoid muscles. Chuna manual therapy was then applied on the cervical area. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) - according to outpatient's statement on vertigo, neck pain and headache - and the Korean Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), which is a self-evaluating scale of dizziness in daily life, were used to evaluate the effects of this treatment. Results: At the end of the treatment, the vertigo and the headache disappeared. The NRS decreased from 9 to 0 for vertigo and from 5 to 0 for headache. Although the neck pain also decreased, it did not disappear; this NRS decreased from 7 to 1. The DHI score also decreased significantly, from 64 to 4. Conclusion: Since the symptoms of the patient with cervical vertigo improved after the very first treatment and the improvement of the symptoms was observed as the treatment progressed, this case report is worth supporting the efficacy of combined Korean medical treatments. However, because there was only one subject, it is hard to say that this efficacy can be generalized. Moreover, this report cannot prove the individual efficacy since various treatments were combined. While there are many researches related to cervical vertigo in Western medicine, the studies in Korean medicine are comparably insufficient; therefore, follow-up research on more subjects is needed.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was designed to assess the general distribution, clinical effectiveness of Korean medical treatment on knee pain and the correlation between Korean medical therapy on knee pain and BMI. Methods : This is an observational study. 65 patients admitted to Daejeon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine with musculoskeletal disorders were observed from July, 2014 to July, 2015. They were analyzed according to sex, age, pain lesion, body mass index(BMI) and treatment efficacy. All patients received a combination of treatments during hospitalization, including acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicines and physical therapy. A zero to ten numerating rating scale (NRS) assessing pain, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index(WOMAC) index and Range of Motion(ROM) was used before and after treatments. Statistical correlations among assessment measurements were evaluated by examining the paired t-test and the Pearson's correlation coefficients. Results : The average BMI of all patients was $24.03{\pm}2.95kg/m^2$. According to clinical definition of obesity by Korean Society for the Study of Obesity, 33.8% of all patients was within normal weight, 1.5% was underweight, 33.8% was overweight, 24.6% was obesity and 6.2% was morbid obesity. For knee pain patients, NRS (Numeric Rating Scale) decreased from $6.28{\pm}1.63$ to $3.94{\pm}2.03$(p<0.001). WOMAC index decreased from $48.14{\pm}17.63$ to $40.37{\pm}18.28$(p<0.001). But, there were no significant correlations in statistics among BMI, knee pain index and knee pain index improvement. Conclusions : Korean medical combination treatment might be effective in reducing pain and improving functional disorders for patients with knee pain. This study further confirmed the efficacy of Korean medical treatment on knee pain. But, more studies on correlation between knee pain and obesity and development of assessment measurement are needed.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2010

Objectives : This study was performed to report the effect of oriental medical treatment in the lower back pain(LBP) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS). Methods : A 32-years-old man who diagnosed as ALS was admitted with LBP. We treated him by burning acupuncture, herbal medicine, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion, cupping therapy and physical therapy from 11th May 2010 to 10th June 2010. Results : After treatment, there was improvement in LBP. Pain Intensity estimated by visual analog scale(VAS) as percentile Pain Intensity Difference(PID), Korean Owestry Disbility Index(KODI) was also improved. Korean version of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Functional rating scale-revised(K-ALSFRS-R) shows that the patient's physical ability has been improved. Conclusions : Our study suggests that oriental medical treatment are significantly effective in the LBP due to ALS. And further studies will be aid to identify underlying mechanism of treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.851-864
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• 2019

Multiple system atrophy is a neurodegenerative disease that causes diverse bodily dysfunctions (cerebellar, pyramidal, automatic, and urological, in any combination), as well as Parkinsonism. Patients with multiple system atrophy commonly display antecollis, a condition where the patient's head tilts forward more than 45 degrees. Despite its common occurrence in these patients, no current standardized therapies are effective for treating antecollis. In this study, Korean medicinal treatments, including Chuna manual therapy, pharmaco-acupuncture, bee venom acupuncture, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion therapy, were administered to the patient over a 27-day period. After the treatment, assessments of the head position on the EPIS-PD scale (Part I) and at a standing position from the side (Part II) both revealed improvements. As the head flexion angle decreased, the patient's head posture improved, as determined by a decrease in angle from 80 degrees to 30 degrees in the upright, standing position. As a result, patients who previously were unable to walk without the support of walking frames could now roam freely and independently, with significant increases in both walking speed and distance. In essence, this study suggests that Korean medicine is an effective treatment for patients with multiple system atrophy who suffer from antecollis and gait disorders.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.42-73
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• 2023

Objectives : In order to investigate the current status of recent clinical evidence related to complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) treatment for burns and to inform research and treatment strategies for future, we publish a scoping review(ScR) of randomized controlled trials(RCTs). Methods : The research question of the ScR was "Are there any RCTs of CAM treatment for burn?". RCTs published from 2000 to 2022 were identified in 7 databases(PubMed, Cochrane, CNKI, OASIS, RISS, KCI, KMbase) in March 2023. Data were tabulated and analyzed descriptively with respect to the research questions. Results : 41 RCTs were included. 21(51.2%) were conducted in China, 13(31.7%) in Iran. The main treatment criteria were herbal medicine in 28 cases, acupuncture in 9 cases, chuna therapy in 4 cases, and psychotherapy in 3 cases. Among the herbal medicine, there were 19 topical medications, 5 injections(intravenous pharmacopuncture), 4 aerosol drugs(aromatherapy), and 1 oral drug. Among the acupuncture, there were 4 plum blossom needles(seven-star needles), 2 wrist-ankle acupunctures, 2 press needles, and 1 electroacupuncture. CAM treatments were effective in treating burns. It reduced pain and pruritus at the burn site, helped recovery and management of the donor site, reduced anxiety and pain during dressing change, improved hematological problems and vital signs, and finally lowered the mortality rate. CAM treatments also lowered health care costs. Conclusions : CAM treatments for burns is prospective, and that it deserves to make high-quality studies including additional large-scale RCTs.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.109-115
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• 2019

Cervical dystonia (CD) is a disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent, involuntary muscle contractions which cause twisting, repetitive movements and abnormal postures. In this case report, a CD patients was treated with transfer energy capacitive and resistive (TECAR) therapy and conventional Korean medicine, which consists of acupuncture, Chuna manual medicine, pharmacopuncture and herbal medicine. For outcome measures, this study evaluated Cobb's angle, EuroQol five dimension scale (EQ-5D), numerical rating scale (NRS), neck disabillity index (NDI) and cervical range of motion. As a result, improvements were found in Cobb's angle ($18.65^{\circ}$ to $15.90^{\circ}$), EQ-5D score (0.808 to 0.862), NRS (5 to 3), NDI (16 to 8) and angle of cervical lateral bending ($15^{\circ}$ to $25^{\circ}$). In conclusion, this study shows that combined therapy of conventional Korean medicine treatment and TECAR therapy can be effective for CD patients.