초록
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.