• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.1 no.3
• /
• pp.241-249
• /
• 1997

The aim of the present study is to examine the brainstem sites where the electrical stimulation produces a suppression of dorsal horn neuron responses of neuropathic rats. An experimental neuropathy was induced by a unilateral ligation of L5-L6 spinal nerves of rats. Ten to 15 days after surgery, the spinal cord was exposed and single-unit recording was made on wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in the dorsal horn. Neuronal responses to mechanical stimuli applied to somatic receptive fields were examined to see if they were modulated by electrical stimulation of various brainstem sites. Electrical stimulation of periaqueductal gray (PAG), n. raphe magnus (RMg) or n. reticularis gigantocellularis (Gi) significantly suppressed responses of WDR neurons -to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli. Electrical stimulation of other brainstem areas, such as locus coeruleus. (LC) and n. reticularis paragigantocellularis lateralis (LPGi), produced little or no suppression. Microinjection of morphine into PAG, RMg, or Gi also produced a suppression as similar pattern to the case of electrical stimulation, whereas morphine injection into LC or LPGi exerted no effects. The results suggest that PAG, NRM and Gi are the principle brainstem nuclei involved in the descending inhibitory systems responsible for the control of neuropathic pain. These systems are likely activated by endogenous opioids and exert their inhibitory effect by acting on WDR neurons in the spinal cord.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of taping therapy on recovery of behavioral symptoms and neural excitability of the lumbar spinal cord in rat model for ankle sprain. Methods : Adult Sprague-Dawley rats was used and divided into 3 experimental groups: normal group(n=6), ankle sprain(n=6), and ankle sprain with taping treatment(n=6). In order to induce ankle sprain the right ankle joint was injured with 4~5 repetitive over-flexions and over-extensions manually. The severity of joint pain was evaluated by measuring foot weight bearing force ratio(FWBRF) of the hind limb and the injury-induced edema formation by diameter of the joint following ankle sprain. The changes of neural excitability in the lumbar spinal cord was tested by observation of cFos protein expression, a metabolic marker for neural excitation. Results : Severity of ankle injury induced in this experiment coincided with Grade 1 ankle sprain. Compared with ankle sprain group, ankle sprain＋taping showed a significant reductions of joint pain as well as of edema formation at the ankle joint following ankle sprain. There was significant upregulation of cFos-immunoreactive neurons in the lumbar spinal cord 24 hours after ankle sprain. In contrast, taping therapy resulted in significant inhibition of cFos-immunoreactive neurons in the lumbar spinal cord. Conclusions : Collectively, these results suggest that taping therapy may be an alternative therapeutic intervention for symptom recovery of the mild ankle sprain.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.18 no.8
• /
• pp.505-509
• /
• 2020

A migraine was a headache disorder characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headaches. The diagnosis was based on clinical signs and symptoms. Medication, physical therapy, nerve block, and nerve stimulation could be applied for treatment. This report described a case of severe migraine without aura that lasted several weeks periodically in a 59-year-old woman. Periodic headache had lasted for more than 14 years, and although she took medicines and nerve blocks, severe pain (VAS 7) was persisted. We recommended her to use the thermo-spinal massage device (CGM MB-1401, CERAGEM Inc., Cheonan, South Korea) continuously three times a week applying in semi-automatic mode around the neck for 40 minutes. There was no change in the pain scale in the automatic mode for the first 4 weeks. Subsequently, the semi-automatic mode of the cervical area was treated for 2 weeks to relieve the pain scale, and it was confirmed that the relieved state maintained for 2 months. This case highlighted the importance in considering thermo-spinal massage devices for managing migraine without aura.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.131-143
• /
• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to make a survey of the effectiveness of the non surgical spinal decompression treatment in patients with cervical disc herniation documented on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). Methods: We studied about 27 cases of cervical disc herniation which were treated with non surgical spinal decompression and other medical treatment (acupuncture, interferential current therapy and ice poultice). Each patient has been treated with spine decompression and other medical treatment. And degree of improvement has been evaluated by short form-McGill pain questionnaire(SF-MPQ), visual analogue scale(VAS) and neck disability index(NDI) before treatment and 5th, 10th times after treatments. Results: 1. The VAS SF-MPQ and NDI scores showed statistically significant improvement after 5th and 10th treatment. 2. The VAS, SF-MPQ and NDI scores after 5th treatment showed better improvement than those of after 10th treatment. 3. The VAS, SF-MPQ and NDI scores in Subacute stage showed more statistically significant improvement among the other stages. Conclusions: As a result, non surgical spinal decompression treatment has clinical effects of pain reduction on patient with cervical disc herniation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.193-200
• /
• 2014

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of treadmill exercise of diverse intensities on the expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ (interleukine-$1{\beta}$) in the spinal cord in osteoarthritis rats. METHODS: The authors applied treadmill exercise of diverse intensity for 4 weeks to Sprague-Dawley rats to which intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate(MIA, $3mg/50{\mu}l$, diluted in saline) was applied in the right knee joint to induce osteoarthritis. The four-week exercise was not applied to the control group(CG, n=15), while exercise of applicable intensity was applied to the low-intensity exercise group(LEG, n=15), moderate-intensity exercise group (MEG, n=15), and high-intensity exercise group(HEG, n=15) for four weeks. Observations were made of expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ in the spinal cord in osteoarthritis rats using western blot analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences(p<.05) in the comparison of expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ in the spinal cord between the four groups involved. And the LEG and MEG had reduced expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ significantly than the CG(p<.05); in particular, the MEG showed the lowest expression. On the other hand, the HEG had more elevated expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ significantly than the CG(p<.05). CONCLUSION: As a result, factors that induce neuropathic pain such as IL-$1{\beta}$ are reduced; thus, the recovery of damaged neurons is improved and neuropathic pain is reduced. Further, when prescribing exercise to treat osteoarthritis patients, exercise of moderate intensity suitable for patients' physical conditions, rather than high intensity, maximizes the effects of this therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.85 no.1
• /
• pp.54-76
• /
• 2024

Facet joint arthrosis is a progressive degenerative disease that is frequently associated with other spinal degenerative disorders such as degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis. Lumbar facet joint arthrosis can induce pain in the proximal lower extremities. However, symptoms and imaging findings of "facet joint syndrome" are not specific as they mimic the pain from herniated discs or nerve root compression. Currently, evidence for therapeutic intra-articular lumbar facet joint injections is still considered low, with a weak recommendation strength. Nevertheless, some studies have reported therapeutic effectiveness of facet joint injections. Moreover, the use of therapeutic facet joint injections in clinical practice has increased. This review article includes opinions based on the authors' experience with facet joint injections. This review primarily aimed to investigate the efficacy of lumbar facet joint injections and consider their associated safety aspects.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.228-237
• /
• 2012

Background: Milnacipran is a balanced serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with minimal side effects and broad safety margin. It acts primarily on the descending inhibitory pain pathway in brain and spinal cord. In many animal studies, intrathecal administration of milnacipran is effective in neuropathic pain management. However, there is no study for the neurological safety of milnacipran when it is administered neuraxially. This study examined the neurotoxicity of epidural milnacipran by observing behavioral and sensory-motor changes with histopathological examinations of spinal cords in rats. Methods: Sixty rats were divided into 3 groups, with each group receiving epidural administration of either 0.3 ml (3 mg) of milnacipran (group M, n = 20), 0.3 ml of 40% alcohol (group A, n = 20), or 0.3 ml of normal saline (group S, n = 20). Results: There were no abnormal changes in the behavioral, sensory-motor, or histopathological findings in all rats of groups M and S over a 3-week observation period, whereas all rats in group A had abnormal changes. Conclusions: Based on these findings, the direct epidural administration of milnacipran in rats did not present any evidence of neurotoxicity in behavioral, sensory-motor and histopathological evaluations.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.129-135
• /
• 2017

The present study investigated the role of spinal glutamate recycling in the development of orofacial inflammatory pain or trigeminal neuropathic pain. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 230 and 280 g. Under anesthesia, a polyethylene tube was implanted in the atlanto-occipital membrane for intracisternal administration. IL-$1{\beta}$-induced inflammation was employed as an orofacial acute inflammatory pain model. IL-$1{\beta}$ (10 ng) was injected subcutaneously into one vibrissal pad. We used the trigeminal neuropathic pain animal model produced by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve. DL-threo-${\beta}$-benzyloxyaspartate (TBOA) or methionine sulfoximine (MSO) was administered intracisternally to block the spinal glutamate transporter and the glutamine synthetase activity in astroglia. Intracisternal administration of TBOA produced mechanical allodynia in naïve rats, but it significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia in rats with interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$-induced inflammatory pain or trigeminal neuropathic pain. In contrast, intracisternal injection of MSO produced anti-allodynic effects in rats treated with IL-$1{\beta}$ or with infraorbital nerve injury. Intracisternal administration of MSO did not produce mechanical allodynia in naive rats. These results suggest that blockade of glutamate recycling induced pro-nociception in na?ve rats, but it paradoxically resulted in anti-nociception in rats experiencing inflammatory or neuropathic pain. Moreover, blockade of glutamate reuptake could represent a new therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic pain conditions.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.582-586
• /
• 2005

The present study was designed to characterize the possible roles of spinally located cholera toxin (CTX)- and pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G-proteins in pro- inflammatory cy tokine induced pain behaviors. Intrathecal injection of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-${\alpha}$; 100 pg), interleukin-1${\beta}$ (IL-1${\beta}$ 100 pg) and interferon-${\gamma}$ (INF-${\gamma}$; 100 pg) showed pain behavior. Intrathecal pretreatment with CTX (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg) attenuated pain behavior induced by TNF-${\alpha}$ and INF-${\gamma}$ administered intrathecally. But intrathecal pretreatment with CTX (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5${\mu}g$) did not attenuate pain behavior induced by IL-1${\beta}$. On the other hand, intrathecal pretreatment with PTX further increased the pain behavior induced by TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-1${\beta}$ administered intrathecally, especially at the dose of 0.5 ${\mu}g$. But intrathecal pretreatment with PTX did not affect pain behavior induced by INF-${\gamma}$. Our results suggest that, at the spinal cord level, CTX- and PTX-sensitive G-proteins appear to play important roles in modulating pain behavior induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines administered spinally. Furthermore, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$ arid INF-${\gamma}$ administered spinally appear to produce pain behavior by different mechanisms.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.111-114
• /
• 2000

Pain around the posterior iliac crest area is usually attributed to disorders of the lower lumbar or lumbosacral spine. However, low back pain arising from the thoracolumbar region is common and it is very similar to low back pain of lumbosacral origin. Low back pain of thoracolumbar origin is clinically distinguished from other nonspecific low back pain syndrome. It is characterized by symptoms localized at one posterior iliac crest innervated by posterior branch of $T_{12}$ spinal nerve. Patients never complain of spontaneous pain at the thoracolumbar junction. Only localized tenderness over involved segments of thoracolumbar junction can be noted. We report two cases of posterior iliac crest pain of thoracolumbar origin which was relieved by the treatment on the thoracolumbar junction.