• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제34권4호
• /
• pp.209-230
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The aim of this study was to describe the details and to assess the clinical evidence of acupuncture and moxibustion for non-specific chronic neck pain. Methods : We searched seven databases including Korean, English, and Chinese databases through July 2016. Studies using acupuncture, moxibustion, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, auricular-acupuncture, acupressure for non-specific chronic neck pain were included. Only controlled clinical trials or randomized clinical trials were assessed. Study design, number of subject, inclusion criteria, intervention, and results were extracted. In addition, details of intervention including needle type, retention time, acupoints were analyzed. Results : Total 64 studies(39 acupuncture, 9 laser, 6 pharmaco-acupuncture, 3 electro-acupuncture, 3 auricular-acupuncture, 3 moxibustion, 1 acupressure) were included. Among 39 acupuncture studies, 35 used acupuncture as sole intervention. Sham treatment was the most common intervention for control group, followed by no intervention. Various outcome including pain, disability, quality of life, range of motion was used as outcome measurement. The effect of acupuncture and moxibustion was different depending on the type of control and outcome measurement. The most commonly used method in acupuncture for neck pain was GB21, SI3, GB20, LI4, BL11 acupoints, 10~30 mm insertion depth, 20~30 retention time, and 1~2 times per week. Conclusions : Analyzing the details of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment could be helpful for researches and clinics. Further studies should consider the characteristics of study design, intervention, and outcome to assess the effect of TKM.

• PNF and Movement
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.101-111
• /
• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical activity as a risk factor for neck pain recurrence using the National Health Insurance Data Sharing Service that utilizes a nationwide cohort in South Korea. Methods: Medical records spanning a two-year period were extracted from the National Health Insurance database for 541,937 patients who sought healthcare services for neck pain (ICD 10 codes: M54.2) in 2020 and completed the national health examination survey. Selected variables for analysis included age, gender, health insurance premium decile, regional health vulnerability index, body mass index (BMI), acuity, blood pressure, and types of physical activity. A mixed-effect multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the recurrence rate of neck pain and identify risk factors for neck pain recurrence. Results: Among the participants, 124,433 patients (23.0%) experienced a recurrence of neck pain within two years, with higher recurrence rates observed among older individuals and females. Regression analysis revealed that the risk of neck pain recurrence increased with age (OR=1.51), being female (OR= 1.10), being a medical aid recipient (OR=1.51), and having anaerobic (OR=1.04) or vigorous physical activities (OR=1.06). By contrast, an increased health insurance premium decile (OR=0.96) and having moderate physical activity (OR=0.97) were associated with a decreased risk of neck pain recurrence. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of moderate physical activity as an effective strategy for reducing the recurrence of nonspecific neck pain, underscoring the necessity for personalized physical activity programs for patients.

• PNF and Movement
• /
• 제22권2호
• /
• pp.257-266
• /
• 2024

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of psychological and other risk factors on the recurrence of nonspecific neck pain. To achieve this, a nationwide cohort provided by the National Health Insurance Service in South Korea, with a three-year follow-up, was used. Methods: The study included patients who did not experience neck pain for the first year but were diagnosed with nonspecific neck pain (ICD-10 code: M54.2) in the second year. The progress of their neck pain recurrence was followed up for the next two years. Medical records, including age, gender, health insurance premium quintile, regional health vulnerability index score, initial onset duration, total hospitalization duration, and secondary diagnosis at onset, were extracted for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the recurrence rate and risk factors for nonspecific neck pain recurrence. Results: Among a total of 591,215 patients, 29.2% experienced recurrence within two years. Patients with psychological disorders had a higher recurrence rate (30.6-33.8%) than those without psychological disorders (29.2%). Specifically, mood disorders (OR = 1.16) and stress-related disorders (OR = 1.06) were identified as risk factors for the recurrence of nonspecific neck pain. Older age (OR = 1.16-1.43), being female (OR = 1.17), being employed (OR = 1.23), and using medial aids (OR = 1.41) were also identified as risk factors. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for a high recurrence rate of nonspecific neck pain and highlights the need to consider psychological factors as well as personal factors in comprehensive interventions to prevent recurrent nonspecific neck pain.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
• /
• 제44권6호
• /
• pp.476-481
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on skin temperature, pain, muscle tone, and ROM after applying the massage robot "PIRO-ZERO" to 6 men and 4 women in their 20s who complained of non-specific pain in the shoulder or back for more than 12 weeks. As a result of the study, there was a significant increase in skin temperature not only in the area where the massage was applied, but also on the opposite side and throughout the body due to increased blood flow. Pain in the upper trapezius, rhomboid, and erector spinae muscle was decreased, and muscle tone in the erector spinae muscles was significantly decreased. There was a significant increase in ROM of neck and trunk flexion, which is thought to be because the massage reduced muscle tone around the spine, increasing flexibility. In the future, as the safety and effectiveness of massage robots are further verified and the pressure, speed, and path become more diverse, satisfaction is expected to increase.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
• /
• 제11권3호
• /
• pp.363-369
• /
• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prepare evidence for the prevention and management of nonspecific chronic neck pain (NSCNP) by examining the correlation between activity of daily living and physical activities of office workers with NSCNP. Design: Crossed-sectional study Methods: 89 patients with NSCNP were recruited for this study. But 2 subjects met the exclusion criteria and were dropped out, and 86 subjects finally participated. Numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) and neck disability index (NDI) were used to check the pain intensity and disability of patients with neck pain, respectively. For the activity of daily living, computer use time, sleep time, and driving time were used. To find out the physical activities of the subjects, International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ-SF) was used. Correlation analysis was performed to find out the correlation of each variable. Results: A clear positive correlation was established between computer use time and pain (p<0.05), and a clear positive correlation was established between computer use time and disability index (p<0.05). The correlation between NPRS and NDI and physical activity total time, high intensity activity score, moderate intensity activity score, and walking score were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: In treating patients with NSCNP, it is necessary to reduce the computer usage time as a professional factor or to educate the proper posture. In addition, rather than emphasizing physically comprehensive physical activity, grafting therapeutic exercise directly related to neck pain could have a more positive effect on NSCNP patients.

• 한국엔터테인먼트산업학회논문지
• /
• 제13권8호
• /
• pp.635-645
• /
• 2019

비특이적 만성 목통증은 흔한 질환이며, 흔히 통증, 피로감, 관절가동범위 및 손기능의 감소를 동반한다. 만성 목통증에 의한 증상을 중재하기 위하여 다양한 약물 중재가 사용되고 있지만, 부작용이 적고 적용이 용이한 운동중재 및 대체의학 중재가 요구되고 있다. 본 연구는 비특이적 만성 목통증 노인환자의 라이프케어를 위하여 소금팩과 목운동이 통증, 관절가동범위와 손기능과 같은 운동기능에 미치는 효과를 규명하였다. 16명의 비특이적 만성 목통증 노인환자가 동원되었고, 중재군(8명)과 대조군(8명)으로 무작위 배정되었다. 모든 대상자는 1주일간 30분(일), 5회(주)의 자가 목운동을 수행하였고, 중재군의 대상자는 회당 20분 소금온열팩 중재를 추가적으로 받았다. Visual analogue scale (VAS)와 algometer를 이용한 pain pressure threshold (PPT) 측정을 통해 통증을 평가하였다. 어깨와 손 기능을 평가하기 위하여 어깨 관절의 가동범위 및 악력을 측정하였다. 모든 결과 측정에서 중재군은 유의한 개선을 보였으며(p<.05), 반면 대조군의 피험자는 중재 후 유의한 변화를 보이지 않았다(p>.05). 또한, 중재군은 사후 측정에서 대조군에 비교하여 VAS와 PPT에서 유의한 차이를 나타냈다(p<.05). 따라서 우리의 결과는 소금팩과 목운동이 만성 목통증 노인환자의 통증, 관절가동범위 그리고 손기능 개선에 효과적임을 증명하였다. 또한 소금팩은 목운동의 효과를 증가시키는 중재가 될 수 있음을 확인하였다.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제24권2호
• /
• pp.99-112
• /
• 2007

Objectives : It was to translate three neck and spinal pain disability questionnaires - the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS), and the Functional Rating Index (FRI) - into Korean language, and evaluate the psychometric properties of Korean versions of questionnaires to achieve a good cross-cultural adaptation. Methods : Forty (23 males, 17 females) subjects aged from 15 to 64 years old, participated to examine test-retest reliability. One hundred and eighty (76 males, 104 females) subjects with a primary diagnosis of non-specific neck pain and 81 healthy volunteers were undertaken to examine internal consistemcy, discriminative validity and longitudinal construct validity. Versions of each questionnaire in idiomatic modern Korean were developed using a procedure proposed by Beaton et al. (2000). To assess reliability, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC $_{(2,1)}$) was calculated. Internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha. Discriminative validity was examined with independent-group t-tests. Responsiveness was tested by calculating the effect size and standardized response mean for each questionnaire and using Pearson' s r and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results : Test-retest reliability ofthe translated versions of the three disability questionnaires was excellent (ICC $_{(2,1)$ = 0.86-0.90). High internal consistency was found in the three disability questionnaires (Cronbach's alpha ranged from ${\alpha}=0.88$ for the FRI to ${\alpha}=0.96$ for the NPDS and 0.82 for the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire(SFMPQ)). the VAS subscale of the SFMPQ was found to be the most responsive of the subscales (ES=1.44, SRM=1.37). The VAS was also the most responsive pain and disability index in internal responsiveness analysis, although disability indices showed marginally better responsiveness when compared with external standards. No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Conclusions : It is concluded that the questionnaires were successfully translated and exhibit acceptable measurement properties, and may suggest that they are suitable for use in clinical and research application.

• Medical Lasers
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.134-141
• /
• 2020

The use of stem cell therapy to treat various diseases has become a promising approach. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and differentiate can contribute significantly to the success of regenerative medical treatments. In line with these expectations, there is a great need for an efficient research methodology to differentiate stem cells into their specific targets. Photobiomodulation (PBM), formerly known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), is a relatively non-invasive technique that has a therapeutic effect on damaged tissue or cells. Recent advances in adapting PBM to stem cell therapy showed that stem cells and progenitor cells respond favorably to light. PBM stimulates different types of stem cells to enhance their migration, proliferation, and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. This review summarizes the effects of PBM on targeted differentiation across multiple stem cell lineages. The analytical expertise gained can help better understand the current state and the latest findings in PBM and stem cell therapy.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• 제10권2호
• /
• pp.83-97
• /
• 2008

Cervical and thoracic radiculopathies are among the most common causes of neck pain. The most common causes are cervical disc herniation and cervical spondylosis in patients with cervical radiculopathy, and diabetes mellitus and thoracic disc herniation in thoracic radiculopathy. A thorough history, physical examination, and testing that includes electrodiagnostic examination and imaging studies may distinguish radiculopathy from other pain sources. Although various electrodiagnostic examinations may help evaluate radiculopathy, needle electromyography is the most important, sensitive, and specific method. Outcome studies of conservative treatments have shown varying results and have not been well controlled or systematic. When legitimate incapacitating symptoms continue despite conservative treatment attempts, more invasive spinal procedures and intradiscal treatment may be appropriate. Surgery has been shown to have excellent clinical outcomes in patients with disc extrusion and neurological deficits. However, patients with minimal disc herniation have fair or poor surgical outcomes. In addition, conventional open disc surgery entails various inadvertent surgical related risks. Although there has not yet been a non-surgical interventional procedure developed with the therapeutic efficacy of open surgery, conservative procedures can offer substantial benefits, are less invasive, and avoid surgical complications. While more invasive procedures may be appropriate when conservative treatment fails, prospective studies evaluating cervical and thoracic radiculopathies treatment options would help guide practitioners toward optimally cost-effective patient evaluation and care.