• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.573-584
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of Korean Medicine on post-stroke patients with upper limb pain due to complex regional pain syndrome diagnosed by three-phase bone scan, digital infrared thermal imaging, and International Association for the Study of Pain diagnostic criteria Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments, visual analogue scale, medical research council grade, Brunnstrom stage of motor recovery, modified Ashworth scale, and Korean modified Barthel index were used. Results: After Korean medical treatments like acupuncture, herb medication, bee-venom therapy and rehabilitation therapy for 4 weeks, upper limb pain was considerably less and function of upper limbs was improved. Conclusions: Korean medical treatments have some good effects on post-stroke patients with complex regional pain syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 1995

Pain is a complex symptom consisting of a sensation underlying potenial disease and associated emotional state. Acute pain is a reflex biological response to injury, in contrast, chronic pain consists of pain of a mininum of 6 months duration and associates with physical, emotional past experience, economic resources of the patient, family and society. Moreover, chronic pain is characterized by physiological affective and behavioral responses that are quite different than those of acute pain. The different type of stimuli exciting pain receptor are mechanical, thermal and chemical stimli and chronic pain are concerned with three of all stimli. The major three components of pain central(Analgesia) system in the brain and spinal cord are 'periaqueductal gray area of the mesencephalon', 'the raphe magnus nucleus' and 'pain inhibitory complex located in the dorsal horns of the spinal cord'. But unfortunately, the central biochemical mechanisms of chronic pain are not clearly defined. To proper management of chronic pain, comprehensive urderstanding as a psychosomatic aspect and multidisciplinary therapeuti-team approach must be emphasized.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.165-175
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• 2017

Nuclear medicine imaging is widely used in pain medicine. Low back pain is commonly encountered by physicians, with its prevalence from 49% to 70%. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are usually used to evaluate the cause of low back pain, however, these findings from these scans could also be observed in asymptomatic patients. Bone scintigraphy has an additional value in patients with low back pain. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is defined as a painful disorder of the extremities, which is characterized by sensory, autonomic, vasomotor, and trophic disturbances. To assist the diagnosis of CRPS, three-phase bone scintigraphy is thought to be superior compared to other modalities, and could be used to rule out CRPS due to its high specificity. Studies regarding the effect of bone scintigraphy in patients with extremity pain have not been widely conducted. Ultrasound, CT and MRI are widely used imaging modalities for evaluating extremity pain. However, SPECT/CT has an additional role in assessing pain in the extremities.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2009

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is still difficult to diagnose in the field of chronic pain management. CRPS is diagnosed by purely clinical criteria based on the characteristic signs and symptoms, which have to be differentiated from similar pain conditions like posttraumatic neuropathic pain. Until now, there has been a lack of objective diagnostic tools to confirm the diagnosis of CRPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a three phase bone scan (TBS) for making the diagnosis of CRPS. Methods: A total of 121 patients who had been diagnosed with CRPS were evaluated. All the patients were examined by performing a TBS as a part of the diagnostic work-up. A diffuse increased tracer uptake on the delayed image (phase III) was defined as a positive finding for CRPS. Results: Forty-one patients (33.9%) out of 121 showed the positive results on the TBS. The patients with a duration of pain of less than 24 months had a significantly higher positive result (43.4%) on the TBS than did the patients with duration of pain longer than 24 months (12.1%). Conclusions: A TBS could give a better objective result for diagnosing CRPS for patients with a shorter duration of pain and a TBS gives little information for the diagnosis of CRPS in patients with a duration of pain longer than 24 months.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.401-405
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• 2013

Complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury is often severe, debilitating and difficult to manage. Percuteneous radiofrequency sympathectomy is a relatively new technique, which has shown promising results in various chronic pain disorders. We present four consecutive patients with complex regional pain syndrome secondary to brachial plexus injury for more than 6 months duration, who had undergone percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy after a diagnostic block. All four patients experienced minimal pain relief with conservative treatment and stellate ganglion blockade. An acceptable 6 month pain relief was achieved in all 4 patients where pain score remained less than 50% than that of initial score and all oral analgesics were able to be tapered down. There were no complications attributed to this procedure were reported. From this case series, percutaneous T2 and T3 radiofrequency sympathectomy might play a significant role in multi-modal approach of CRPS management.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2010

The complex regional pain syndrome(CRPS) is a painful and disabling disorder that can affect one or more extremities. Unfortunately, knowledge concerning its natural history and mechanism remains very limited. Many current rationales in treatment of CRPS are mainly dependent on efficacy originate in other common conditions of neuropathic pain. This article introduces various treatments for CRPS, but few studies of high methodological quality have been carried out into the effects of those treatments. I think early recognition and a multidisciplinary approach to management seems important in obtaining a good outcome.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.191-195
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• 2006

This article presents a case report of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) involving the ankle and foot; the bee-venom herbal acupuncture (BVH) was performed as part of a pain management program. An 46-year-old man presented with CRPS in the left lower extremity that was inadequately controlled with typical oral medication. Sympathetic block the extremity did not provide significant pain relief. However, BVH resulted in significant pain relief and improvement in patient's attitude. This case report showed that BVH may be efficacious in treating patients with CRPS. Further study is needed to determine the effects of BVH on symptoms related to CRPS.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.223-227
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• 2006

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is clinically characterized by pain, abnormal regulation of blood flow and sweating, edema of skin and subcutaneous tissues, sensory and motor disturbances, and trophic changes of the skin. A 21-year-old man was suffering from pain and swelling in his right hand and forearm. His arm had been in splints for 3 weeks following an extension injury of the right fingers and wrist, with the pain having developed 2 weeks after the splinting. He was treated with various nerve blocks including continuous epidural infusion, thoracic sympathetic block and peripheral nerve blocks, and squeezing his edematous region under general anesthesia as well as intravenous lidocaine and ketamine infusions. However, all of the performed treatments had no effect on the patient's pain or hand swelling. As a next line therapy, spinal cord stimulation should be considered because of intractable severe pain and swelling to almost all other modalities of therapy. We therefore performed an early intervention of spinal cord stimulation for the patient with refractory CRPS type I 5 months after the onset of pain and have got an excellent result.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.66-70
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• 2007

No definitive etiology or risk factors have been identified that predispose individuals to developing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We experienced two cases of CRPS developed after arterial and venous puncture which were done in regular medical work. A 35-years old female patient was suffered from pain and allodynia with swelling at right hand and wrist after radial artery puncture for monitoring of blood pressure during general anesthesia. A 24-years old male patient had pain and swelling with allodynia at the right fingers and arm after median cubital vein puncture for blood sampling. They did not have proper pain management as CRPS patients in the past weeks and months after their pain occurred. They were diagnosed as CRPS and started undergoing various interventional procedures, which led to improve their pain condition. Our cases suggest that CRPS could develop without any proved tissue damage in routine medical practice. In conclusion, health care workers should be educated in knowledge about the uncommon medical condition and proper consultation to pain specialist when it happens.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.190-194
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• 2007

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which is a syndrome that is defined by pain and sudomotor and/or vasomotor instability, is usually resistant to conventional treatment. Here, a case involving a 30-year-old male patient with CRPS type I who showed severe intractable right shoulder pain with allodynia and hyperalgesia despite being treated with oral medications, nerve blocks including thoracic sympathetic neurolysis, and spinal cord stimulation is described. The patient frequently visited the emergency room due to severe uncontrollable breakthrough pain. Although a favorable effect was observed in response to intermittent ketamine infusion therapies that were performed on an outpatient basis, acute exacerbation of pain occurred frequently during the night and could not be controlled. Therefore, subcutaneous ketamine infusion therapy using a patient-controlled analgesic system was attempted and found to effectively control acute exacerbation of pain during 6 weeks of infusion without serious complications.