• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.161-169
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• 2022

A 50-year-old Korean male tour guide without any medical or family history complained of left knee pain. After receiving umbilical cord blood injection treatment, the pain gradually worsened. After being diagnosed with septic arthritis in the left knee, arthroscopic lavage, debridement, antibiotic treatment, and routine rehabilitation therapy were performed, but the symptoms persisted. In the hospital, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, Chuna manual therapy, and cupping therapy were performed in addition to the usual treatment for 59 days. To evaluate the patient's improvement, the numeric rating scale, EuroQol 5-dimension, pain disability index, and Lysholm knee scoring system were used. After treatment, the symptoms improved in all assessment tools, swelling, and range of motion of the joint. Through this study, it was found that complex Korean medical therapies may be effective for postoperative ankylosis in septic arthritis of the knee, and further studies are needed to clarify the therapeutic effect.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2018

Objectives: The objective of this study was to review the trends of Korean medicine-based treatment for thoracic outlet syndrome(TOS). Methods: Korean and foreign on-line databases(Pubmed, Cochran Library, CNKI, NDSL KISS and OASIS) were researched for articles discussing Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. Repeated articles, review articles, commentaries, and those not relevant to the topic of study were excluded. Results: The total number of studies selected was 26, which included 18 case reports and 8 randomized controlled trials(RCT). In these studies, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, and warm acupuncture were used as interventions for TOS.Chuna therapy was found to be the most commonly used combination treatment. Despite the high prevalence of TOS, only 3 case reports of the 26 studies selected in this review were published in Korean academic journals. Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the trends of traditional Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. The results showed that Korean medicine-based treatment could be an effective method for treating TOS.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

Objectives The present study examined the recent domestic and international trends of non-surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods The studies on non-surgical treatment of LSS were investigated via searching Korean web databases and PubMed. As a result, 39 studies were analyzed according to the authors, the types of study, the relationship to surgical treatment and the method of treatment. Results The first authors' occupations were identified as 17 doctors, 12 Korean medicine doctors, six physiotherapists, three chiropractic doctors and one doctor of science. The most common type of study in Korea was the case report and most of the studies were retrospective. Overseas, there were many prospective or experimental studies including randomized controlled trials (RCT). In Korea, non-surgical treatment was performed independently of surgical treatment in most cases. Among non-surgical treatments, the most researched treatment was traditional Korean medicine (TKM), followed by injection therapy, exercise therapy, and physical therapy. Conclusions Through this review, we can determine the effectiveness of TKM and its research direction. TKM should be studied experimentally including RCT and it should be conducted not only on acupuncture, but also on other treatment methods such as acupotomy, chuna, and herbal medicine. It is also necessary to conduct studies on TKM before and after surgery to compare the effects of surgery and TKM together, as well the effects on non-surgical treatments.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.315-320
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate reasearch trend of acupuncture treatment on shoulder impingement syndrome. This study investigated the recent studies about acupuncture treatment for shoulder impingement syndrome via searching Korean and foreign electronic databases(Research Information Services, National Digital Science Library, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integated Services, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure). The search term was searched by combining 'shoulder impingement sydrome', 'subacrominal pain', 'acupuncture', 'needle therapy', and was limited to the articles published from 2005 to 2017. 14 studies were found to be analyzed according to the type of study, the number of cases, the type of treatment, the instruments for assessment and published year. 14 studies were published since 2005, 6 case reports, 8 randomized controlled trials. In the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome, treatments such as acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, laser acupuncture, combined treatment of exercise and rehabilitation were performed. Visual analogue scale(VAS), range of motion(ROM) and various questionnaires were used as primary assessments. In each study, acupuncture treatment was reported to have a significant effect in the pain, range of motion and disability of shoulder impingement syndrome. In order to ensure objective evidence on acupuncture treatment, large scale case reports and randomized controlled trials should be continued.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.319-328
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• 2023

Facial nerve palsy refers to sudden, unilateral lower motor neuron facial paralysis. This study aimed to determine the importance of neck treatment in the treatment of facial paralysis. A literature search was performed on six online databases and other sources until January 15, 2023. A total of 426 papers were retrieved. After excluding duplicated and inconsistent papers, papers not including cervical treatment, and experimental papers on animals, two papers were finally selected. The type of treatment method, therapeutic effects, assessment of the risk of bias in randomized controlled trials, and non-randomized controlled trials and side effects were evaluated. Chiropractic, manual therapy, facial meridian massage, and acupotomy were applied to the face and cervical spine region. The results showed that each treatment had a significant therapeutic effect through evaluation index measurement methods, such as the visual analog scale and Yanagihara's unweighted regional grading system. This study demonstrated the importance of the cervical spine area in the treatment of facial paralysis. However, this study has many limitations. Thus, high-quality randomized controlled comparative studies on the treatment of the cervical spine area only or studies that include cervical spine area treatment as an interventional treatment while performing oriental or comprehensive treatment are needed.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.71-83
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• 2024

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the trends in domestic and international clinical research on the Korean medicine for triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injuries and to contribute to future domestic research. Methods In this study, clinical studies on TFCC injuries treated with Korean medicine were searched through databases such as Research Information Sharing Service, ScienceON, DBpia, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Medline, and Embase. Fifteen clinical studies were selected, of which publication years, intervention methods, assessment tools, and various other factors were analyzed, including potential side effects. Results Among the selected 15 studies, total of 13 intervention methods were used. Electroacupuncture was the most frequently used method (40%), followed by herbal medicine (33%), acupuncture (26.7%), chuna manual therapy (26.7%), pharmacopuncture (20%), acupotomy (13%), herbal ointment (13%), hot medicinal compress therapy (13%) and etc. Most studies showed that Korean medicine treatments effectively alleviated TFCC injuries, with visual analogue scale being the most commonly used assessment tool. Conclusions Korean medicine treatments for TFCC injuries appears to be effective; however, further research is needed to enhance understanding. Large-scale clinical trials comparing the efficacy of Korean medicine treatments, along with investigations into side effects and recurrence rates are necessary. By doing so, the safety and efficacy of Korean medicine treatments for TFCC injuries can be further established.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.47-59
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• 2023

Objectives This paper is an analysis of domestic and foreign trends for the Korean medical treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Methods Domestic and foreign databases were searched and analyzed for Korean medical treatment interventions, research types, and treatment effects for avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Results There were 10 case reports in Korea, 2 case reports and 3 randomized controlled studies abroad. A total of 12 treatment interventions were used, and the types include acupuncture, herbal medicine, phamacopunture, electroacupuncture, cupping, physical therapy, chuna, acupotomy, moxibustion, warm acupuncture, laser acupuncture, and motion style treatment. As for the evaluation index, visual analogue scale, range of motion and harris hip score were the most common with 7 cases each. Conclusions Through this study, it was possible to understand the trends of domestic and foreign research on the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head with Korean medicine. However, due to the small number of literature and no randomized control studies in Korea, treatment evidence is insufficient. It is considered that further research is needed in the future.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2024

Objectives This study aims to analyze clinical studies on subacromial-subdeltoid (SA-SD) bursitis and propose future directions for clinical research on SA-SD bursitis. Methods We searched eight databases to investigate research trends in Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis up to November 2023. A total of thirty-one studies were included in this analysis. Results Among the included studies, there were six case reports from Korea, fifteen case reports, and ten randomized controlled trials from abroad. Various interventions were uesd, including acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, manual therapy, electro-acupuncture, cupping, physiotherapy, acupotomy, warm-acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion. The evaluation tools used in these studies included the total effective rate, visual analogue scale, range of motion, and numeral rating scale. Conclusions This study provides an overview of the research trends in Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis. However, given the low quality and small sample sizes of the studies, the evidence supporting effect of Korean medicine treatments for SA-SD bursitis was insufficient. Further clinical trials and systematic reviews are required.