• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.259-269
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• 2020

Background: This study aims to statistically analyze and compare the curative effect and satisfaction level between typical traditional Korean medicine treatment and nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment. Methods: Of the patients who were diagnosed with the cervical or lumbar herniated intervertebral disc at the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine at the Daejeon Korean Medicine Hospital from April 14^th to August 25^th, 2019, this study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 31 patients who underwent nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment and traditional Korean medicine (assigned to Group A) and another 31 patients who received typical traditional Korean medicine alone (assigned to Group B). The clinical data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 23.0. Results: No statistically significant differences appeared in terms of sociodemographic, condition, and therapeutic characteristics, except whether the patient received Western medicine treatment, before or after a treatment with traditional Korean medicine. Group A exhibited higher variations in numeric rating scale, EuroQol- 5 dimension and EuroQol visual analogue scale scores compared to Group B as determined by independent sample t test and analysis of covariance. In addition, the satisfaction score of Group A was higher than that of Group B The result of cross analysis revealed that desire for continued treatment in Group A was higher than that of Group B. Conclusion: This retrospective observational study showed that the patients with nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment reported a greater reduction in pain, improved quality of life and satisfaction than patients receiving typical traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.252-264
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• 2023

Background: The primary aim of this study is to statistically analyze and compare the difference in treatment outcomes based on the frequency and duration of acupotomy treatment for lumbar disk herniation. Methods: The evaluation of efficacy and safety involved using visual analog scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS), Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), EuroQol 5-dimention (EQ-5D), and similar parameters. This was achieved through the establishment of a comparable cohort using propensity score matching. Group A comprised 46 patients who underwent 4 sessions of acupotomy treatment for 2 weeks, while Group B consisted of 15 patients who received 6 acupotomy sessions for 3 weeks. Results: For Group A, the average amount of change in VAS values at weeks 4 and 6 was significantly decreased. However, the average amount of change in RMDQ values was not significant. Notably, the average amount of change of EQ-5D values at week 6 increased significantly. As for Group B, the average amount of change of NRS values in weeks 2 and 3 was significantly decreased. Conversely, the average amount of change in RMDQ and EQ-5D values was not significant. In comparing the 2 groups at the final follow-up, the average amount of change in all evaluation values was not significant. Further, no significant interaction effect was observed in the changes over time in all evaluation values between the 2 groups. Conclusion: This study establishes that there was no statistically significant difference in pain reduction, functional impairment, and quality of life improvement between 2 group.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.43-50
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• 2018

Objectives Upper lumbar disc herniation (LDH) (L1/2, L2/3) has specific anatomical characteristics and different outcome after conventional treatment compared to lower LDH (L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1). The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical features and effects of korean medical treatment of upper LDH between lower LDH. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data collected from 121 patients who was had admitted at the Haeundae Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine from June 1st, 2014 to August 31th, 2018. The patients who had treated at L1/2, L2/3 level LDH were grouped and compared with those treated at the L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1 level. We reviewed the patient characteristics such as age, the positive rate of Straight Leg Raise Test (SLR test), the presence or absence of previous lumbar surgery. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were evaluated at adimission and discharge. Results Mean age was significantly higher at upper LDH group and positive rate of SLR test was higher at lower LDH group. There was no significant difference of gender and previous lumbar surgery between two groups. Each group had a significant improvement of NRS, ODI scores. But between two groups, there was no significant difference of NRS, ODI scores. Conclusions Upper LDH group was older than lower LDH group. SLR test was useful tool to exclude upper LDH. Korean medical treatment was significantly effective to both upper and lower LDH groups. Further well designed prospective comparative studies are needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.217-228
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• 2003

Objective : Spinal meningeal cysts can be the cause of the low back pain and sciatica. We tried to manage the low back pain and sciatica caused by other disease besides intervertebral disc herniation. Methods : We treated the patient who diagnosed as spinal meningeal cyst and hospitalized. And we investigate the progress of physical condition, VAS, modified VAS, PRS by treatment and MRI before and after treatment. Results : There was remarkable improvement in condition of the patient who has spinal meningeal cyst after bee venom therapy. We found the size of cyst decreased in MRI and also progress in VAS modified VAS PRS physical view improved. Conclusions : We think that the result of this case can be a pilot study that proves the effect of bee venom therapy the low back pain and sciatica caused by variable disease.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.208-214
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• 2012

Objective : Discal cyst is rare and causes indistinguishable symptoms from lumbar disc herniation. The clinical manifestations and pathological features of discal cyst have not yet been completely known. Discal cyst has been treated with surgery or with direct intervention such as computed tomography (CT) guided aspiration and steroid injection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the percutaneous endoscopic surgery for lumbar discal cyst over at least 6 months follow-up. Methods: All 8 cases of discal cyst with radiculopathy were treated by percutaneous endoscopic surgery by transforaminal approach. The involved levels include L5-S1 in 1 patient, L3-4 in 2, and L4-5 in 5. The preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and 3-dimensional CT with discogram images in all cases showed a connection between the cyst and the involved intervertebral disc. Over a 6-months period, self-reported measures were assessed using an outcome questionaire that incorporated total back-related medical resource utilization and improvement of leg pain [visual analogue scale (VAS) and Macnab's criteria]. Results : All 8 patients underwent endoscopic excision of the cyst with additional partial discectomy. Seven patients obtained immediate relief of symptoms after removal of the cyst by endoscopic approach. There were no recurrent lesions during follow-up period. The mean preoperative VAS for leg pain was $8.25{\pm}0.5$. At the last examination followed longer than 6 month, the mean VAS for leg pain was $2.25{\pm}2.21$. According to MacNab' criteria, 4 patients (50%) had excellent results, 3 patients (37.5%) had good results; thus, satisfactory results were achieved in 7 patients (87.5%). However, one case had unsatisfactory result with persistent leg pain and another paresthesia. Conclusion : The radicular symptoms were remarkably improved in most patients immediately after percutaneous endoscopic cystectomy by transforaminal approach.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.585-592
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to determine if when chymopapain is loaded onto a nano-carrier, an injection of it reduces the spreading range of the drug within the discs. The materials for the experiment, which were conducted for three weeks, included fifteen intervertebral discs taken from two cadavers, which were divided according to the types of injected chymopapain solutions as follows: ordinary chymopapain group and nano-carrier system group. The nano-carrier system group was again divided into two subgroups according to the types of pluronics, the basic material for the nano-carriers: Pluronic F 127(DA-PF 127) in the nano-carrier group and Pluronic F 68(DA-PF 68) in the nano-carrier group. The results showed that the action of chymopapain using a pluronic-based nano-carrier system was localized around the center of the injection site instead of broad spreading, compared to that of the ordinary chymopapain group (p<0.01). This characteristic suggests a possible application to effective agents for minimally invasive spinal treatment through which disc lesions were removed selectively.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.61-71
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• 2015

Objective : To report cases of HIVD of C&L-Spine successfully treated with conservative Korean Traditional Medicine treatment with Megadose Pharmacoacupuncture. Methods : Four patients diagnosed with HIVD of C&L-Spine were treated with Megadose Pharmacopuncture, acupuncture and herbal medicine. Numeric Rating Scale(NRS), Neck Disablility Index(NDI) and Oswestry low back pain Disablility Index(ODI) scores were collected before and after treatment for comparison. Results : There was a significant decrease in NRS, NDI and ODI scores. The mean NRS score decresed from 9 to 2.25, NDI from 45 to 14 and ODI from 46.66 to 11.33. Conclusion : The result suggests Megadose Pharmacoacupuncture can be an effective treatment on patients with HIVD of C&L-Spine.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2012

Objectives : The perpose of this study was to observe the correlation between lumbar lordotic angle and radiological result. Methods : We randomly selected among the 150 patients with lumbar X-ray and MRI films who have visited Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine with low back pain. Radiographic lumbar lordotic angle and lumbar HIVD were collected and stastically analyzed. Results : In this study, if the finding of a X-ray showed straightening of lumbar lordotic curve, based on MRI finding, the number of HIVD increased. Conclusions : There was a significant correlation between lumbar hypolordosis and HIVD, hypolordosis complained mare HIDVs.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2014

The "WuQinXi" exercise, one of the medical Qi-gongs, is an exercise maximizing human's self healing power and has been confirmed to be effective significantly at several modern researches. There are many exercise therapies in western medcine, such as Willams's flexion exercise, Mckenzie's extension exercise, vertebral stabilization exercise and so on. However, there isn't a special exercise therapy which can be applied for medical practice in oriental medicine. So we selected 24 motions which are related with lumbar movements from 3 type "WuQinXi" exercises ; 20 mode, 30 mode, and 40 mode. And then, we classified them according to lumbar movements as flexion, extention, lateral bending and rotation, and also functions as stabilization and rubbing. Next, with these classifications, we assorted them by kinds of lumbar spinal disease as HIVD(herniation of intervertebral disc), spinal stenosis, spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, facet joint syndrome, compression fracture and spondylosis. We expect that "WuQinXi" exercise be a exercise therapy for lumbar spinal disease at an oriental medical clinic in this way. Oriental medical doctors will be able to teach easily patients "WuQinXi" exercise's motions at clinic, depending on kinds of lumbar spinal disease each patient suffers from. We plan to study the effect of "WuQinXi" exercise by comparing patients who do the "WuQinXi" exercise with the patients who do the western medical exercise therapy.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.434-441
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• 2008

Objectives: This study was conducted to measure the decline in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with some diseases in South Korean adults. Methods: The EQ-5D health states in the 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) and the Korean EQ-5D valuation set were used to obtain the EQ-5D indexes of the study subjects. Each disease group was defined when the subjects reported to the NHNES that they were diagnosed with the corresponding disease during the previous 1 year by physicians. Since the distributions of the EQ-5D indexes in each subgroup were negatively skewed, median regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of specific diseases on the HRQoL. Median regression analysis produced estimates that approximated the median of the EQ-5D indexes and there are more robust for analyzing data with many outliers. Results: A total of 16,692 subjects (6,667 patients and 10,025 people without any disease) were included in the analysis. As a result of the median regression analysis, stroke had the strongest impact on the HRQoL for both males and females, followed by osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis, and herniation of an intervertebral disc. While asthma had a significant impact on the HRQoL only in men, cataract, temporo-mandibular dysfunction, and peptic ulcer significantly affected the HRQoL only in women. Conclusions: Stroke and musculoskeletal diseases were associated with the largest losses of the HRQoL in Korean adults.