• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.57-60
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• 2011

Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment of nervous tissue has been proposed as a less neurodestructive technique alternative to continuous RF heat lesioning. Recently, clinical reports using PRF have shown favorable effects in the treatment of a variety of focal pain areas, even in non-nervous tissues; however, the mechanism of effect underlying this treatment to non-nervous tissue remains unclear. We report the case of a 67-year-old male who presented with pain reliving point in the posterior neck. The patient had pain in the posterior neck for 3 years. The pain subsided with pressure applied to a point in the posterior neck. There were no specific abnormal findings on laboratory testing and radiologic examinations. After PRF treatment to the pain-relieving point, he had pain relief which lasted more than 5 months.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2017

The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is a parasympathetic ganglion, located in the pterygopalatine fossa. The SPG block has been used for a long time for treating headaches of varying etiologies. For anesthesiologists, treating postdural puncture headaches (PDPH) has always been challenging. The epidural block patch (EBP) was the only option until researchers explored the role of the SPG block as a relatively simple and effective way to treat PDPH. Also, since the existing evidence proving the efficacy of the SPG block in PDPH is scarce, the block cannot be offered to all patients. EBP can be still considered if an SPG block is not able to alleviate pain due to PDPH.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.310-318
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• 2020

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve among the peripheral nerves, and the damage to the sciatic nerve is caused by mechanical and physical pressure. This is an important disease that consumes a lot of time and money in the treatment process. Among them, research on relieving nerve pain caused by damage to the peripheral sciatic nerve has been made efforts to prevent and treat this disease through various methods such as drugs, natural products, electrical stimulation, exercise therapy, and massage. Existing treatments are not very effective in neurological pain, and countermeasures are needed. Forsythia Fructus, used in this study, has been used as a therapeutic agent for infectious diseases and a pain reliever for cancer from the past, and in past studies, it has been known to properly control the inflammatory response. In this study, rengyolone, a physiologically active substance of Forsythiae Fructus, was administered to rats that caused chronic left nerve pain to verify the pain relief effect. As a result of the experiment, it was found that mechanical pain and cold stimulation pain were significantly reduced in the rengyolone-treated group compared to the non-administered group. In addition, it was found that nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA expression was significantly reduced and Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdc2) expression was increased in the rengyolone administration group. This increase in NGF expression is thought to be related to rengyolone's anti-inflammatory regulatory mechanism. It is expected that the reduced NGF was directly involved in pain relief.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 1989

Pain is a common and important clinical symptom, and treatments aimed at relieving pain have a central position in medical practice. Recently Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has been effectively used to control acute and chronic conditions that produce pain. But the mechanism of analgesia resulting from TENS remains obscure. In order to investigate the analgesic effect of TENS and it's action mechanism, TENS was applied in 40 rabbits with different frequencies, low frequency (2Hz) and high frequency (100Hz), for 20 minutes. And the pain threshold was measured by the temperature before and after stimulation, and an attempt was made to antagonize the stimulation effect with naloxone pretreatment (0.4 mg/kg) The results are as follows: 1) Both low frequency and high frequency TENS resulted in increasing the pain threshold significantly (Both p<0.01). 2) Naloxone pretreatment could antagonize the effect of increasing the pain threshold with low frequency TENS significantly (p<0.01), but not with high frequency TENS. Plasma beta-endorphin was measured by radioimmunoassay using an Beta-Endorphin Kit (Immunonuclear Corporation, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA) and Automatic Gamma Scintillation Counter (Micromedic System 4/2000) before and after stimulation. An attempt was made to reverse the stimulation effect with naloxone pretreatment (0.4 mg/kg). The results are as follows: 1) Low frequency TENS resulted in increasing the level of plasma beta.endorphin significantly (p<0.01), but high frequency TENS did not. 2) Naloxone pretreatment could reverse the effect of increasing the plasma beta-endorphin level with low frequency TENS significantly (p<0.01).

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.331-340
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• 2007

The etiology of chronic headache is not yet fully explained, the treatment of this symptom is not simple. We show the effect of Qigong therapeutics applied on chronic headache patient, in order to establish a primary data for further studies of new treatments. We treated 2 times a weeks for 3 weeks. The acupoints, (太陽穴)(Ex-HN5), (老龍穴), (大趾甲下穴), and (百會穴)(GV20) were stimulated for 10 seconds by Qigong-Acupuncture, and after that Qigong therapy was performed for 30 minutes The effects were analyzed using VAS scores, PPI(Present Pain Intensity), HI(Headache Index) and HDI(The Henry Ford Headache Disability Inventory). We concluded that Qigong therapeutics applied on chronic headache patient showed effects of relieving pain, improving general activities and changing the mood. Further researches are needed to evaluate the distinct functional mechanism of Qigong therapeutics, hut this study is meaningful in the sense that it will act as a fundamental study to build on.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.169-176
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• 1983

It is well known that the acupuncture has been used effectively for the relief of certain types of pain. Although the precise mechanism of action of acupuncture analgesia is unknown, it is generally accepted that their analgesic properties are related to the activation of endogenous opiate system in central nervous system. And it is suggested that pain-relieving properties of acupunture may be related to a stimulation of peripheral nerve underlying the acupuncture point on the skin. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has no relationship between the site of pain and the acupuncture point. Consequently, the present study was undertaken to investigate electroacupuncture analgesia in relation to the site of peripheral nerve stimulation. Cats were decerebrated ischemically and the flexion reflex as an index of pain was elicited by stimulating the sural nerve (20V, 0.5 msec duration) and recored as a compound action potential from the nerve innervated to the posterior biceps femoris muscle in the ipsilateral hindlimb. Bilateral common peroneal nerve and contralateral superficial radial nerve were selected as the site of peripheral nerve stimulation. For the stimulation of peripheral nerve, a stimulus of 20 V intensity, 2 msec-duration and 2 Hz-frequency was applied for 60 min respectively. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1) Both stimulation of contralateral common peronal nerve and contralateral superficial radial nerve did not change the flexion reflex and there were no significant differences between them. 2) Stimulation of ipsilateral common peroneal nerve markedly depress the flexion reflex, the effect being reversed by naloxone application. These results suggest that stimulation of ipsilateral common peroneal nerve has the analgesic effect but both stimulation of contralteral common peroneal nerve and contralateral superficial radial nerve to the pain site where flexion reflex was elicited have no analgesic effect.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.511-518
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• 1998

Aqua-acupuncture therapy is a new acupuncture-therapy that cures diseases by needling with direct medication of oriental or western medicine at acupuncture points which are related to a disease, pressure pain points or positive reaction points according to meridian theory, followed by controlling one's body function and relieving the pathogenic state. Recently, the method is widely applied clinically owing to its handiness and usefulness, but it is pointed that it has some problems. Therefore, the present studies have been carried out to introduce history of the method, materia-medica which is ordinarily used, acupuncture points to be selected, handling method, mechanism of action, range of application and some points to be careful. Moreover, through the experiences that we have made by applying the method clinically, we suggest that the following study should be carried out : First, clinical application of needling with direct medication should be made by using materia-medica which is already proved safe. Second, it is essential to study the side-effects accompanying fever, pains, mass and hemolysis after the method is applied. Third, the study on the mechanism of action of the method should be accomplished continuously.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.123-136
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• 2004

Objective : Because the cause and etiology of chronic headache is not yet fully explained, the treatment of this symptom is not simple. This study compares the effects of aroma acupuncture and normal acupuncture applied on chronic headache patients, in order to establish a primary data for further studies of new treatments and developments of new practical acupunctures. Methods : 38 clinical experiment participants were gathered and through a questionnaire patients who experienced headache for more than 4 hours a day and more than 15 days per month were qualified as Chronic Headache patients. The qualified patients were classified in to two groups, aroma acupuncture group(Aroma AT group, n=23) and normal acupuncture group(AT group, n=15). Treatment was applied 2 times a weeks for 8 weeks. The acupoints, GV20, HN23, ST8, HN46, TE17, GB20, LI20, LI11, LI14, ST36, and LR3 were stimulated for 20 minutes in both the groups. The effects of both groups were analyzed using VAS scores and BPI (Brief Pain Inventory). Results : The VAS pain scores improved significantly in both groups. The decrease rate was larger in the Aroma AT group(p<0.05). The BPI scores for the both groups also decreased. The improvement in the Aroma AT group was larger(p<0.05). Conclusion : Aroma acupuncture applied on chronic headache patients showed effects of relieving pain, improving general activities, changing the mood, and improving sleeping behaviors. These effects were analyzed using VAS scores and BPI. The Aroma AT group showed significant changes of VAS and BPI compared to the AT group, suggesting that this new practical acupuncture is very effective when treating chronic headaches. Further researches are needed to evaluate the distinct functional mechanism of aroma acupuncture, but this study is meaningful in the sense that it will act as a fundamental study to build on.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.11-19
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was aimed to determine which pharmacopuncture was effective in relieving pain in standard pain model, acute grade 3 ankle sprain rat model. Methods : Percentage changes of weight bearing ratio(WBR), as pain indicator, were measured after anti-inflammation, neutro Eohyul, Hwangryunhaedock-decoction pharmacopuncture were injected to Guheo ($GB_{40}$). Results : In three kinds of pharmacopuncture, neutro Eohyul and Hwangryunhaedock-decoction pharmacopuncture represented more effect in percentage changes of WBR than surgical(non treatment), needling group. Conclusions : Comparing of pharmacopuncture in grade 3 ankle sprain rat model, these results provide basis to select pharmacopuncture in sprain disease. Furthermore, mechanism of pharmacopuncture's analgesia, anti-inflammation should be progressed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.513-514
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• 2006

Recently intradiscal electrothermal therapy is introduced, which is a new and minimally invasive technique fer the treatment of discogenic low back pain. This procedure involves the percutaneous threading of a flexible catheter into the disc under fluoroscopic guidance. The catheter, composed of thermal resistive coil, heats the posterior annulus of the disc, causing contraction of collagen fibers and destruction of afferent nociceptors. This study tries to investigate the effects of the important factors of this procedure such as heat source temperature and heat applying time on the temperature distribution within the intervertebral disc. This study utilized both computer simulation and the experiment for the verification of finite element analysis. FE analysis was carried out with ANSYS v7.0 (ANSYS Inc, USA) using 10,980 number of brick element and 12,551 number of node. The functional spinal units of 5 month old swine were used for the experiment and the temperature was monitored using 10 channel temperature measurement device MV200. Through this study, it was able to analyze the temperature range of inner intervertebral disc by two mechanisms which are known to alleviate pain clinically. The results showed that when the heat source temperature was kept up 80 degree for 1,020 seconds, the temperature of inner annulus reached at 45 degree up to the distance of 15.6mm from heat source, which explains coagulation of inner annulus by heat. When the same heat source was used, the temperature of inner nucleus reached at 60 degree up to the distance of 9mm from heat source, which explains contraction of inner nucleus by heat.