• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제41권2호
• /
• pp.51-57
• /
• 2024

This case report aims to illustrate the diagnostic challenge and effective management of acute cervical radiculopathy presenting as shoulder pain, differentially diagnosed through physical examinations, and subsequently treated with acupotomy. A male patient in his late 20s with no significant medical history or comorbidities reported acute left shoulder pain upon awakening, rated at a severity of 7 on the numeric rating scale (NRS). Initial physical evaluations of the shoulder assembly revealed no abnormalities, but a positive Spurling test, relief with cervical distraction, and diminished sensation across the left C5~C8 dermatomes pointed towards a cervical spine origin. Immediate acupotomy at identified tender points significantly reduced pain, with additional therapies enhancing recovery. Pain was eliminated after the second treatment, and this resolution was sustained at the 4-week follow-up, confirming the treatment's effectiveness and verifying the absence of adverse effects. This case presents the critical need for precise diagnosis in cases of neck and shoulder pain. Additionally, the employment of acupotomy provided a swift and effective resolution of symptoms in acute cervical radiculopathy, showing its value in clinical practice.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2022

Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of acupotomy for carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods Based on seven domestic and foreign databases. We analyzed the randomized controlled trials using acupotomy for carpal tunnel syndrome. The treatment group was treated with acupotomy and the control group was no restrictions on treatment methods. Results In this study, the effect of acupuncture treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome was investigated. Each study reported that acupotomy could be an effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. However, as a result of meta-analysis of Levine carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire scores, visual analog scale, and sensory nerve conduction velocity, the results were more clinically significant than those of the control group. Due to the small number of randomized controlled trial studies and the nature of acupotomy treatment, blinding of interventions was impossible, resulting in a high risk of bias. Conclusions In this regard, it is thought that well-planned randomized controlled studies on patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are needed in the future to secure the clinical evidence for acupotomy treatment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제28권4호
• /
• pp.127-135
• /
• 2011

Objectives : Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a cause of the progressive compression myelopahty or radiculopathy. More and more cases being reported in the field of western medicine, but very few cases have been reported in the field of oriental medicine. This study can make prove the effectiveness of oriental medicine about OPLL by acupotomy therpapy. Methods : A patient who is diagnosed to OPLL was participated in this study. The patient was treated by acupotomy therapy. After the treatment, patient was measured by VAS (visual analogue scale), questionnaires (NDI, J-OA score) and 5 Likert scale. Results : The results in the questionnaires (NDI, J-OA score) and VAS, ROM shows that the improving of OPLL pain and function. Conclusions : Acuptomy on OPLL was showed the effectiveness in pain and function of the patient.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제38권1호
• /
• pp.79-84
• /
• 2021

The degenerative spinal cord disease cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), and cervical myelopathy caused by trauma, can result in debilitating symptoms affecting quality of life. This study used acupotomy and other Korean medicine treatments (acupuncture, herbal medicine, and physical therapy) to improve the symptoms of CSM and cervical myelopathy. The visual analog scale, the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (mJOA scale), the Nurick grading system, and the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale were used as the evaluation criteria to determine the effectiveness of treatment. The functional status of both patients improved from mild to moderate, with improved gait, local sensation, and level of pain. The degree of spinal cord injury remained the same. The findings of this study suggest that combined Korean medicine treatments including acupotomy may be helpful in the treatment of CSM and cervical myelopathy.

• 한방비만학회지
• /
• 제17권2호
• /
• pp.133-139
• /
• 2017

도침치료와 냉각치료, 한약치료를 병행한 복합한방치료를 24명을 대상으로 4주간 시행한 결과, 허벅지둘레, 체중, BMI, 체지방률 등 비만지표가 모두 통계적으로 유효하게 감소하였다. 또한 중등도의 부작용 발생률은 1.04%로 나타났다.

• 대한약침학회지
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.173-181
• /
• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this review was to appraise Korean studies published between 2010 and 2021 which examined the role of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. Methods: We performed a search of the NDSL, KISS, RISS, OASIS, PubMed, EMBASE electronic databases for relevant animal researches, case reports, and clinical trials, using the following search terms: 'obesity', 'acupuncture', 'electroacupuncture', and 'pharmacopuncture'. We excluded previous reviews and meta-analyses, studies not related to obesity or acupuncture treatment, as well as studies conducted in countries other than Korea. We also excluded studies where relevant information on acupuncture treatment in obesity could not be obtained. Results: Most studies were conducted in animals, followed by case reports and clinical trials. In animal researches and case reports, pharmacopuncture was the most used intervention. In case studies, electroacupuncture, thread-embedding therapy, manual acupuncture, acupotomy, and auricular acupuncture were also used. In animal researches, pharmacopuncture treatment was associated with improvement in obesity indices. In the case of local obesity, specific acupuncture techniques such as thread-embedding therapy and pharmacopuncture were associated with significant improvements in local obesity, even when diet and exercise were not controlled for. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment showed significant benefit in the treatment of obesity, with a local effect evident for certain approaches, such thread-embedding therapy and acupotomy.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
• /
• 제34권2호
• /
• pp.101-134
• /
• 2024

Objectives The purpose of this study is to observe the effectiveness of acupotomy treatment for lateral epicondylitis by comparing it with various control groups. Methods We searched 11 domestic and international databases for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. The subjects were studies published from January 1, 2017 to September 1, 2023, and only randomised controlled trials were included. Results 208 studies were searched, of which 21 studies were finally selected. Among the studies published after 2017, the largest number of studies was published in 2019. The average number of participants per study was 72.28±20.26 and the average age was in the 40s. The most frequent intervention in the study was acupotomy alone, and the treatment most often mentioned as a control group was local nerve block. The most used evaluation tool is efficiency. Acupotomy+manipulation had statistically better effect than that of local nerve block in terms of pain (standard mean difference -1.87, 95% confidence interval, -2.18 to -1.57, p<0.00001) and elbow joint function (standard mean difference 2.25, 95% confidence interval, 1.65 to 2.86, p<0.00001). Conclusions As a result of the meta-analysis, the effect of acupotomy added manual therapy treatment was statistically significant compared to the local nerve block frequently used for lateral epicondylitis. Based on these results, it appears that more research on combination treatments other than acupotomy treatment will be needed. Also, it appears that more large-scale randomized controlled studies that strictly adhere to the standards for reporting interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture, risk of bias 2 criteria will be needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.281-292
• /
• 2023

This study presents the cases of a 67-year-old female with an isolated left sacral fracture and a 69-year-old female with fractures in sacrum 1, 2, and the left pubic bone. Both patients exhibited marked improvement following integrative Korean medicine treatment, encompassing acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and cupping therapy. The treatment's efficacy was assessed using the numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, range of motion (ROM) in the lumbar spine, and alterations in gait and walking distance. Case 1 demonstrated an enhanced ROM and achieved independent walking after 29 days of treatment. Case 2 improved in both ROM and NRS score and could walk independently after 49 days of treatment. Significantly, radiological images showed notable changes in both cases following treatments. The study indicates that integrative Korean medicine treatment could provide clinical advantages to individuals suffering from sacral fractures.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
• /
• 제33권4호
• /
• pp.45-59
• /
• 2023

Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the trends of researches on oriental medicine treatments for supraspinatus tendinopathy. Methods We used five databases for searching researches; Korean studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Only randomized controlled trials suitable for the subject were selected. The methodological quality of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Twenty randomized controlled trials were analyzed. There were 9 types of treatment interventions; acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, fire needling, warming needle, catgut-embedding therapy, herbal medicine, cupping. The most frequently used treatment intervention was acupuncture and acupotomy. There were 9 outcome measurements including visual analog scale (VAS), Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and range of motion. The most used measurement was VAS. As a result of meta-analysis, acupuncture was more effective than control group in VAS. Additionally, acupotomy was clinically significant compared to control groups in VAS and CMS. Conclusions In this review, we analyzed researches on effectiveness of oriental medicine for supraspinatus tendinopathy. A provisional conclusion can be produced that acupuncture and acupotomy showed beneficial effect to supraspinatus tendinopathy. Although there were some RCT studies, many of them had a high risk of bias, so it is hard to conclude that our study can include overall clinical status. Further well-designed trials are needed.

• 대한한의학회지
• /
• 제39권3호
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the opinions of Korean medical doctors on how to elucidate possible remedial measures for expanding the health insurance benefits coverage item of Korean medicine (KM). Methods: An online survey was conducted to all members who had registered e-mail address in the association of Korean medicine from 1 to 17 November, 2016. Statistical analysis was performed and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were calculated by each subgroup. Results: A total of 743 members answered the questions and the response rate was 4.1%. The priorities for expanding health insurance benefits were as follows: thermographic imaging, Sasang constitution typing test, and pulse wave among examinations; pharamacopuncture, embedding acupuncture, and acupotomy among procedures; Chuna manual therapy, manual therapy for meridian muscle, and Daoyin exercise therapy among manual therapies; low-frequency electrical therapy, traction, paraffin bath, and light therapy among physical therapies; and aromatherapy, enema therapy, and color therapy among activities of KM. Conclusions: It should be covered by the national health insurance (NHI) of KM that thermographic imaging, pharmacoacupuncture, Chuna manual therapy, low-frequency electrical therapy, aromatherapy as a top priority. We also suggest that basic medical tests, such as blood, urine, or imaging, should be included in the coverage of the NHI of KM. It is necessary to review the expertise and public opinions about the plans and priorities for the conversion of the desired medical services to be covered by the NHI.