• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

Background: The purpose of this study is to analysis of correlation upper body according to forward head posture. Methods: The subjects of this study were 40 female university students who were equally and randomly allocated to a forward head posture group, normal group. Using general posture system, electromyograph, visual analogue scale, tape measurement, neck disability index were evaluated. Results: There was positive correlation between posture analysis and Sternocleidomastoid, neck flexion (p<.05). There was positive correlation between Craniovertebral angle (CVA) and trapezius upper, VAS (p<.05). There was negative correlation between posture analysis and CVA (p<.05). There was negative correlation between Cranial rotation angle and CVA (p<.05). Conclusion: Increased forward head posture lead to increase of pain, muscles activity, so it suggests to be necessary on the prevention of dysfunction and limited activities daily living.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.67-75
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• 2016

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of M-test (Meridian test) as an adjunctive evaluation and treatment in patients with chronic neck pain. Methods This study was a single arm pre-post comparison study. Thirty-six eligible subjects with chronic neck pain were recruited from August to September, 2015. M-test was used for evaluating the condition of meridian, which can induce the limitation of ROM and body discomfort. Subjects were offered intradermal acupuncture treatment on one-acupoint for 48 hours. Cervical numeric rating scale (NRS), cervical range of motion (ROM), neck disability index (NDI) and surface electromyography (SEMG) were measured before and after the treatment. Total NRS and the number of movement limitation of M-test were also measured before and after the treatment. Results Among the 36 participating subjects, 4 subjects were lost to follow-up or excluded in accordance with the criteria. Significant differences on Cervical NRS and NDI were found after the treatment (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in the range of left cervical rotation (p<0.05). Root mean square (RMS) of SEMG significantly decreased on the right sternocleidomastoid muscle (p<0.05), but significantly increased on the right trapezius muscle (p<0.05). Median frequency (MdF) of SEMG significantly increased on both sternocleidomastoid muscles. There appears to be significant differences after the treatment in total NRS and the number of movement limitation of M-test (p<0.05). Conclusions These results suggest that the evaluation and treatment of M-test based on the meridian and collateral theory were effective on cervical NRS and NDI, and also improved the movability of human body.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Chuna treatment for neck pain patients caused by traffic accident. Methods : 64 patients were divided into two groups, experimental group and control group, of 32 patients each. Control group was treated with general korean medical treatment three times per week for 2 weeks. Experimental group was treated with Chuna treatment and general korean medical treatment three times per week for 2 weeks. We evaluated the treatment effect of each group with the visual analog scale(VAS) and neck disability index(NDI). Results : 1. In both two groups, VAS were decreased significantly in statistics after treatment. 2. In both two groups, NDI were decreased significantly in statistics after treatment. 3. There were significant reduction of the VAS in experimental group than control group, but, there were not significant reduction of the NDI in experimental group than control group. Conclusions : We suggest that Chuna treatment could be recommended as a useful therapy to neck pain patients caused by traffic accident.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2024

Background: This study examined the effects of the muscle energy technique and cervical traction after applying conservative physical therapy to patients with cervical radiculopathy. Methods: Twenty-six patients with cervical radiculopathy were randomized into two groups: the experimental group (n=13) and the control group (n=13). The two groups performed the muscle energy technique and for 4 weeks, 3 times a week, in 70-minute sessions. Pain, range of motion, function, and muscle performance were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), cervical range of motion (CROM) goniometer, neck disability index (NDI), and stabilizer pressure biofeedback, before and after training. Results: After four weeks of therapy, the VAS (p<.001), NDI (p<.01), and the maximum strength of the deep neck flexion muscles significantly decreased (p<.01) and CROM significantly increased in both groups (p<.05). Conclusion: The muscle energy technique and therapeutic modalities such as cervical traction are effective in reducing VAS and NDI and increasing CROM and muscle performance in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 2009

Objectives : The study on Acupotomy therapy has recently become a popular academic field as proven to be an great alternative to the limitation of Western medical treatment. However, there has been little study examining acupotomy therapy on treating Cervical Herniated Intervertebral Disc. Thus, this study aims to investigate the sense of improvement and satisfaction from the Cervical Herniated Intervertebral Disc patients treated with acupotomy therapy. Methods : A total of 23 subjects that consists of Cervical Herniated Intervertebral Disc patients were participated in this study. They were treated with acupotomy therapy and acupuncture. All the subjects were asked to answer Odom's degree, VAS(visual analogue scale), NDI(neck disability index) and JOA score before and after the treatment. Results : The results of the Odom's degree, VAS, NDI and JOA score of analysis groups, show that the improvement of neck pain in acupotomy and acupuncture treatment group is significantly effective. Conclusions : It is suggested that acupotomy therapy has development-effectiveness on Cervical Herniated Intervertebral Disc.

• Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.957-963
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• 2015

Objective To compare the pain-reducing effect of forest bathing alone versus forest bathing in combination with stretching and strengthening exercises in patients with chronic posterior neck pain. Methods Sixty-four subjects with posterior neck pain that had lasted more than 3 months were enrolled. They were randomly divided into a forest bathing alone (FBA) group and a forest bathing with exercise (FBE) group; each group included 32 subjects. All subjects from both groups walked every morning in the forest for about 2 hours for 5 days. In the afternoon, the FBE group did a stretching and strengthening exercise for about 4 hours; the FBA group had free time in the woods. Visual analog scale (VAS) on one day, VAS over the previous week, neck disability index (NDI), EuroQol 5D-3L VAS (EQ VAS) and index (EQ index), McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), the number of trigger points in the posterior neck region (TRPs), and the range of motion of the cervical spine were evaluated on the first and last day of the program and compared between the two groups. Results The number of TRPs were significantly reduced in the FBE group compared with the FBA group (p=0.013). However, the other scales showed no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion When patients with chronic posterior neck pain underwent a short-term forest bathing (less than 7 days) program, FBE was more effective in the reduction of the number of TRPs than FBA. However, all other pain measurement scales we evaluated showed no statistically significant difference between the two protocols.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 2020

Objectives : We investigated the efficacy and safety of miniscalpel acupuncture (MA) treatment combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for chronic neck pain (CNP) in an assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial to establish a basis for larger-scale randomized controlled studies on this subject. Methods : Participants (n=36) were recruited and randomly allocated to the MA group, NSAIDs and combined treatment group. The MA group received MA three times over three weeks. The NSAIDs group was administered orally with zaltoprofen 80mg t.i.d. over three weeks. The combined treatment group received MA and zaltoprofen in the same manner as MA and NSAIDs groups. The primary outcome was pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the secondary outcomes were assessed using the Neck Disability index (NDI), EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), and Patients' Global Impression of Change scale (PGIC). Assessments were made at week 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3 (primary end point) during treatment and at week 7 (4 weeks after the end of treatment). Results : 35 participants completed the study. No serious adverse event occurred and blood test results were within normal limits. The improvement of VAS and NDI was significantly greater in combined and MA group than that in NSAIDs group (p<0.017). The combined group showed better outcomes in EQ-5D at visit 2 and 5, in PGIC at visit 4 than the NSAIDs group (p<0.017). No significant differences were found between combined and MA group. Conclusions : Our results suggest that both combined and MA group can be more effective in improving pain control than NSAIDs group. A large-scale clinical study is warranted to further clarify these findings.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.61-68
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a workplace-based work-conditioning program (WCP) on the management of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) in an automobile-parts manufacturing company. In total, 1,110 subjects with WRMDs participated in workplace-based WCP emphasizing function-centered management and ergonomics. We investigated the incidence of WRMDs variables (number of persons diagnosed with industrial accident-related WHMDs, number of cases of WRMD) and financial benefits (cost of workers' compensation insurance and lost work days related to WRMDs) per year before and after WCP. Additionally, we compared self-reported pain intensity and functional disability in subjects with musculoskeletal pain before and after the WCP. Pain intensity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS), and functional disability was measured by the neck disability index (NDI) and the Oswestry disability Index (ODI). The number of person diagnosed with industrial accident-related WRMDs, the number of cases of WRMD, the cost of workers' compensation insurance and lost work days related to WRMDs per year decreased by 51%, 37%, 34%, and 47%, respectively, and VAS, NDI, and ODI scores decreased significantly after implementation of WCP (p<.05). Thus, the results of the present study suggest that function-centered, workplace-based WCP was effective in managing WRMDs at an automobile-parts manufacturing company.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.248-251
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• 2018

This retrospective study reports the effects of combined traditional Korean treatment of cervical radiculopathy in patients who underwent ineffective epidural steroid injection treatment. This study analyzed cervical radiculopathy in patients who visited traditional Korean medicine hospital following an ineffective epidural steroid injection. There were 29 cases included in this study. Scores for Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were measured before and after combined treatment with acupuncture, herbal medicine, and chuna therapy. The results of this study showed that patient VAS scores for neck and shoulder pain were significantly reduced (p < 0.001) when comparing scores before treatment ($6.03{\pm}2.04$) with after treatment ($2.14{\pm}1.27$). In addition, the VAS score for radiating pain before treatment ($6.67{\pm}1.44$) compared with after treatment ($2.89{\pm}1.83$) showed a significant reduction (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the NDI score before treatment ($25.85{\pm}6.33$) compared with after treatment ($11.33{\pm}7.47$), also showed a significant reduction (p < 0.001). The results in this study showed the positive effects of combined traditional Korean medicine treatment in significantly reducing pain for patients with cervical radiculopathy, who had ineffective anesthesia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.87-95
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was aimed at comparing clinical effectiveness among pharmacopuncture treatment, Chuna treatment, pharmacopuncture-Chuna cooperative treatment for neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods : This study was carried out on the 87 patients with neck pain caused by traffic accidents. The patients were divided into 3 groups ; group A was treated with pharmacopuncture. group B was treated with Chuna treatment. group C was treated with pharmacopuncture and Chuna cooperative treatment one at a time. Also all groups were treated with general acupuncture and herb-medicine treatment. We measured visual analog scale(VAS) and neck disability index(NDI) before the treatment and 2, 4 weeks later. Results : In result each group had significant decrease in VAS and NDI after 4 weeks later. group C showed significant difference as compared to group A and B in NDI and VAS scores. In the first period(from pre to 2 weeks treatment) group C showed significant difference as compared to group A and B in VAS scores. Conclusions : According to the results of this study, it was suggested that chuna treatment and pharmacopuncture are effective in reducing neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Pharmacopuncture and Chuna cooperative treatment was more effective in reducing neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Especially in the first period(from pre to 2 weeks treatment) pharmacopuncture-Chuna cooperative treatment was more effective than pharmacopuncture treatment, Chuna treatment for neck pain caused by traffic accidents.