• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.89-96
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• 2007

Objectives : This report is to compare Remote Acupuncture Point Needling group with Trigger Point Needling group about Shoulder pain treatment. Methods : From November 11th 2006 to May 10th 2007, 30 cases of shoulder pain patients were divided into 2 groups ; one group(test I group) took remote acupuncture point needling, and the other group(test II group) took trigger point needling. For evaluating change of pain, Visual Analog Scale(VAS) and clinical evaluation grade and Range of Motion was checked before and after Treatment. Results : Both acupuncture therapy showed good effect on shoulder pain. And test II group showed better effect on decreasing pain than test I group. It was proved by the difference between VAS and ROM checked before treatment and what checked after treatment. But it was only significant statistically for adduction, inversion and eversion of shoulder joint motion. Conclusion : Trigger point needling can be recommended as a useful therapy to treat shoulder pain.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.61-67
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the safe needling depth of Cheonchu($ST_{25}$) retrospectively by using an abdomen abdomen computed tomography(CT), and to analyze the correlation between needling depth and the characteristics of the subjects. Methods : We marked spots 50 mm away from both sides of the umbilicus in the abdomen CT and measured the vertical distance to the parietal peritoneum from the skin surface as well as waist circumference. Correlations between measured depth of Cheonchu($ST_{25}$) and variables such as age, gender and waist circumference were analyzed. Results : Average depth of the Cheonchu(n = 90) was $3.21{\pm}0.87cm$, the minimum was 1.31 cm and the maximum was 5.63 cm. A definite positive correlation was noted between needling depth and waist circumference and a significant difference was observed in needling depth according to waist circumference groups. Conclusions : Needling depth of Cheonchu($ST_{25}$) varied depending on the patient's waist circumference; safe needling depth of Cheonchu($ST_{25}$) measured by abdomen CT is 1.31~5.63 cm.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.57-70
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• 2010

Objectives : To investigate the meaning and the importance of needling or moxibustion- prohibited acupoints in Chimgugapeulgyeong(鍼灸甲乙經). Methods : We found needling or moxibustion-prohibited acupoints in Chimgugapeulgyeong, then investigated the causes of the prohibitions from the various literatures and the anatomical structures near the acupoints. Results : In Chimgugapeulgyeong, the needling and moxibustion-prohibited points were ST9, ST17, ST32, CV5, and CV15. The needling-prohibited points were LU2, LI13, ST12, BL56, KI2, KI7, TE8, TE19, GB3, CV8, GV24, and jwagak(左角). The moxibustion-prohibited points were LU3, LU8, ST1, ST7, ST8, ST30, ST33, BL5, BL6, BL15, BL30, TE18, TE21, TE23, GB22, GB33, GB42, GV6, GV15, GV16, GV17 and GV25. The major cause of developing prohibited needling or moxibustion was due to the possibility to damage vessels or organs near them; other causes were side effects brought by applying wrong stimulating method or inducing women sterilized. Conclusions : The prohibition of needling or moxibustion on the points found in Chimgugapeulgyeong had acceptable causes. Therefore the techniques of needling or moxibustion on the acupoint should be performed with care.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.61-74
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• 2009

Objectives: The warm needling technique is a method which combines the effects of acupuncture with those of moxibustion. The purpose of this study was to find the stimulus effects of a high frequency warm needling device when stimulating acupoint $LI_4$ on the carrageenan-induced arthritis. Methods: This study was to observe the effects to edema reaction, WBF(weight bearing force), NO concentration, nNOS expression after the electro high frequency stimulus of high frequency warm needling device on LI4 with insulated acupuncture needle. Results: The effect of the high frequency warm needling device is to rise up the temperature in proportion to the current intensity. After stimulating on the acupoint $LI_4$ of the carrageenan-induced arthritis in rats with the high frequency warm needling device, it significantly reduced edema in the rat's foot. In addition, WBF, NO concentration of spinal cord (nmol/mg), and nNOS relative expression were reduced. Conclusions: The above results support the idea that stimulus by the high frequency warm needling device on $LI_4$ produces a potent analgesic effect in the arthritis pain model of the rat. Moreover, stimulus by the high frequency warm needling device modulates endogenous NO through the suppression of nNOS protein expression.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.222-234
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of fire needling and warm needling for De Quervain Syndrome by reviewing clinical studies for recent 10 years. Methods : Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and case series containing more than 20 cases about fire needling and warm needling for De Quervain Syndrome published since 2011 were searched through four foreign online databases (CNKI, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) and five Korean online databases (OASIS, Science ON, DBPIA, KISS, RISS). The number and characteristics of participants, treatment points and main treatment methods involving other combination treatments, treatment cycle or total periods of treatments, evaluation indices, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. Risk of bias of included randomized clinical trials was assessed using a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB 2). Results : A total of 6 randomized clinical trials and 2 case series involving 471 participants were included. Tender point or 'Ashi point' was the most commonly used treatment point, followed by LU4. Treatment frequency ranged from once a day to once a week. One to three outcome measures were used to evaluate the results of the studies, with the efficacy rate the most frequently used, followed by visual analogue scale. Overall risk of bias of all included randomized clinical trials was judged to have some concerns. Conclusions : All selected studies showed that fire needling and warm needling treatments for De Quervain syndrome were more effective than other clinical methods or acupuncture treatments. However, as the number of clinical studies is still too small and the risk of bias of the studies is not low, it is believed that more systematic and objective studies should be conducted.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Chronic pain can cause disability, mild to severe suffering and high medical costs. Some unfortunate patient do not improve despite administering conservative treatment and then the various interventional therapies, including oriental medical treatment and/or surgery, and they find themselves in search of a more effective pain relief. Deep dry needling is one of the newer treatment modalities for these patients. The last 10 years have seen a lot of progress in understanding the neural pathways and the type and extent of tissue involvement during chronic pain. This in turn has stimulated the development of new treatment techniques, and deep dry needling is one of them. So, the authors of this paper discuss the individual theories, the characteristics and future directions of several deep dry needling techniques, and we examine the new dry needling technique that has been recently developed in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.178-184
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• 2013

Objectives : The warm needling technique is the method combining the effects of acupuncture needle with those of moxibustion. We need to standardize the characteristics of the warm needling technique, in order to get more systematic and objective results in operation and effects and then get more clinical abilities in these fields. Methods : In this study, using labview system on the warm needling technique, we measured and compared partial temperature changes according to the kind of needle. We studied relations of moxa cones of various sizes with the peak combustion temperature. Results and Conclusions: When we measured the warm needling's partial temperature, temperature measured at 1 and 2 cm below the head, according to the kind of needle, gold needle got the higher result on the peak than SS304 stainless steel needle. In the case of combustion of the moxa cones, cones weighing 0.4 g and 0.8 g, respectively, and the apex ignition method with gold needle showed the higher result than the apex ignition method with stainless steel needle, when we measured the effective stimulus time at 2 cm below the head and the mean temperature during the effective stimulus time. Although more research to standardize the characteristics of the warm needling technique will be needed, we suggest, according to these results, that warm needling of gold needle combined with moxa cone of 0.4 or 0.8 g is effective.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.87-99
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• 2013

Objectives : The objective of this study is to find out the method and effects of fire needling on frozen shoulder in China. Methods : We searched journals using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI) and PubMed. The keywords were a combination of "fire needling", "fire needle", "burning acupuncture", "frozen shoulder", "adhesive capsulitis", "periarthritis". Results : There were 23 studies finally selected, 7 were case control studies and 16 were case series studies. There were 9 out of 14 main meridians and 31 kinds of acupoints. The most frequently adopted meridians were LI, SI and TE. The most frequently used acupoints were $LI_{15}$, $SI_9$ and $TE_{14}$. Adjacent points were used more often than distant points. They usually heated the needle before insertion and needle retention was mostly not done. 7 case control studies showed that fire needling reported better results than the filiform needle or electro-acupuncture treatment. 15 case series studies reported a significant improvement in fire needling on frozen shoulder patients. Conclusions : There have been many studies regarding fire needling on frozen shoulder in China. Further studies should be required and these can be applied to clinical practices in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.103-110
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• 2012

Objectives : Fire needling has been applied as the treatment for various diseases and been getting much attention from Oriental medicine due to its excellent effectiveness as the results of clinical studies have reported. However, the research findings on the safety of treatment method, materials for the Fire needling needle materials and the possibility of burn injury during the procedure are still insufficient. Methods : A thermo imaging camera was used to confirm the temperature distribution on acupuncture needle and the treatment area during the fire needling therapy. Then the degree of thermal injury was observed by H&E stain and TUNEL assay. In addition, in order to assess the safety of acupuncture materials, we conducted MTT assay using a L6 cell line. Results : The average temperature of the skin surface was observed at $47{\sim}51^{\circ}C$ after classic fire needling and $30^{\circ}C$ after warming fire needling. Warming fire needling therapy does not induce a burn on the tissue and a third degree burn was observed locally in the muscle and skin layers after classic fire needling treatment. This confirms that hwa-acupuncture therapies do not cause major burns. According to the safety assessment test result, no cytotoxicity was detected in the warming fire needling materials. This confirms the safety of the acupuncture materials Conclusions : Various research results on the biological safety of fire needling. Since fire needling therapy induces a burn locally without leaving any scar, and as other results indicate, it is considered a safe treatment method.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.151-164
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• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review clinical studies about the efficacy of fire needling for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Methods and Results : In this review, Oasis, NDSL, CNKI, PubMed, Cochrane, J STAGE and CINII were used as the main databases for searching for medical journals, using the keywords "acne and fire needling"," acne and fire needle"," acne and fire acupuncture", and" acne and red hot needle". The initial search range included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and papers not matching inclusion criteria were excluded. Initially a total of 108 studies were found, with ten being excluded during title and abstract screening. After scanning 98 papers, a total of 31 RCTs were selected and analyzed. In the 31 RCTs, patients with acne were randomized into groups for treatment and control. Specifically, the treatment group received fire needling, while the control group were concurrently given other treatments. The results of the completed studies have shown that the treatment group receiving fire needling demonstrated significant improvement compared to the control group. Conclusion : During our study, it was verified that the efficacy of fire needling for the treatment of acne vulgaris was both significant and meaningful. Therefore, fire needling can be a safe and effective alternative treatment for acne. However, to confirm this result, further investigation in a traditional clinic is required, accompanied by high quality studies including randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trials.