• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2011

Background: Facet joint disease plays a major role in axial low-back pain. Few diagnostic tests and imaging methods for identifying this condition exist. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is reported that it has a high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing facet disease. We prospectively evaluated the use of bone scintigraphy with SPECT for the identification of patients with low back pain who would benefit from medial branch block. Methods: SPECT was performed on 33 patients clinically suspected of facet joint disease. After SPECT, an ultrasound guided medial branch block was performed on all patients. On 28 SPECT-positive patients, medial branch block was performed based on the SPECT findings. On 5 negative patients, medial branch block was performed based on clinical findings. For one month, we evaluated the patients using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index. SigmaStat and paired t-tests were used to analyze patient data and compare results. Results: Of the 33 patients, the ones who showed more than 50% reduction in VAS score were assigned 'responders'. SPECT positive patients showed a better response to medial branch blocks than negative patients, but no changes in the Oswestry disability index were seen. Conclusions: SPECT is a sensitive tool for the identification of facet joint disease and predicting the response to medial branch block.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2018

Ankle osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition that causes severe pain associated with functional impairment and decreased activity. Ankle osteoarthritis, unlike that of the knee or hip joint, is rare in primary arthritis. Most cases are traumatic arthritis that occur after ankle sprain or fractures or chronic ankle instability. Although ankle fusion has been regarded as the standard treatment of ankle osteoarthritis in the past, total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is increasing due to the development of the implant design and surgical techniques. TAA is biomechanically superior to ankle fusion by preserving the movement of the ankle joint. In particular, it is functionally superior to ankle fusion because it enables normal joint motion during gait. In addition, there is an advantage of preserving the movement of the hindfoot and reducing the abnormal stress applied to the adjacent joints after ankle fusion to prevent the occurrence of long-term adjacent joint arthritis. Although the short-term and mid-term results of TAA have been reported to be excellent, long-term follow-up has a relatively low survival rate and high complication rate compared to total knee or hip arthroplasty. Therefore, continuous and further research is needed.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2021

The term chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) embraces a spectrum of conditions that involve functional and mechanical instability, both in athletes and lower-demand patients. The hallmarks of CLAI are recurrent sprains, persistent pain, and repeated episodes of the ankle giving way. CLAI is the main complication of acute ankle sprains, which can cause discomfort in daily and sports activity. Approximately 10% to 30% of patients with acute ligament ruptures will develop chronic instability over the course of a year from the index injury. An accurate diagnostic approach and successful treatment plan should be established based on a comprehensive understanding of the concept of functional and mechanical instability. Unfortunately, the optimal modality for the management of CLAI is unclear. Even after conservative treatment or surgical intervention, it could result in degenerative changes to the ankle joint in the long term. Thus far, the incidence of ligamentous posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis was reported to be 13% to 78%. The mean latency time between injury and osteoarthritis was at least 10 to 34.3 years. CLAI is an important pathological condition that can cause discomfort or dysfunction in daily activity in the short term, resulting in joint destruction in the long term. Therefore, it is important to understand the various complications that can occur when CLAI is not treated properly.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4077-4082
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• 2013

The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to examine gender differences relevant to pain intensity, opioid prescription patterns and opioid consumption in Taiwanese oncology outpatients. The 92 participants had been prescribed opioid analgesics for cancer-related pain at least once in the past week and were asked to complete the Brief Pain Inventory - Chinese questionnaire and to recall the dosage of each opioid analgesic that they had ingested within the previous 24 hours. For opioid prescriptions and consumption, all analgesics were converted to morphine equivalents. The results revealed a significant difference between males and female minimum pain thresholds (t = 2.38, p = 0.02) and current pain thresholds (t = 2.12, p = 0.04), with males reporting a higher intensity of pain than females. In addition, this study found that males tended to use prescribed opioid analgesics more frequently than females on the bases of both around the clock (ATC) (t = 1.90, p = 0.06) and ATC plus as needed (ATC + PRN) (t = 2.33, p = 0.02). However, there was no difference between males and females in opioid prescriptions on an ATC basis (t = 0.52, p = 0.60) or at an ATC + PRN basis (t = 0.40, p = 0.69). The results suggest that there may be a gender bias in the treatment of cancer pain, supporting the proposal of routine examination of the effect of gender on cancer pain management. These findings suggest that clinicians should be particularly aware of potential gender differences during pain monitoring and the consumption of prescribed opioid analgesics.

• 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 Hospice Care
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of hospice home care on the pain relief and quality of life of terminal cancer patients. Method: Experimental pre and post tests were provided to a single group to see the changes of quality of life of patients who were referred to a hospice home care department after having cancer treatment. They were visited at least 8 times for the duration of 4~6 weeks and were provided a 24 hour phone call service. 41 subjects were transferred to a hospice home care department after being discharged from hospital were selected. Result: 1)The first hypothesis that "the pain score of the subjects after receiving hospice home care would be different from before receiving hospice home care would be different from before receiving hospice home care" which scored 4.06 point at the first test and 3.41 at the second did not statistically show a significant difference(t=1.421 p=1.66), even though the pain score is decreased. 2)The 2nd hypotheses that "the quality of life score of the subjects after receiving hospice home care would be different from before receiving hospice home care" which scored 2.88 point at the first test and 3.39 at the second showed a significant difference(t=-6.759, p=.000) and was supported. Regarding the changes of quality of life score, social aspect(t=-5.745, p=.000), emotional aspect(t=-5.684, p=.000), and spiritual aspect(t=-6.889, p=.000) has significantly been increased, while physical aspect has been more decreased significantly than before the hospice home care is provided(t=4.282, p=.000). Conclusion: It was effective to provide hospice home care in relieving the terminal cancer patients' pain and in improving their quality of life, even though a short term hospice home care for 4-6 weeks was provided.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of cotreatment with $Samgieum-gagam$, acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture on post-stroke shoulder pain. Methods : The subjects in this study were 43 patients with post-stroke hemiplegic shoulder pain. These patients were randomly divided into four groups : the group treated with acupuncture, the group cotreated with acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture, the group cotreated with acupuncture and $Samgieum-gagam$, the group cotreated with acupuncture, sweet bee venom acupuncture and Samgieumgagam, They were treated for 4 weeks, and the effectiveness was assessed by visual analogue scale(VAS), Fugl-Meyer motor assessment(FMMA), painless passive ROM of shoulder external rotation(PROM), Modified Ashworth sacle(MAS) and Satisfaction. Results : All groups showed significant change in VAS, FMMA and PROM. The group cotreated with acupuncture, sweet bee venom acupuncture and $Samgieum-gagam$ showed more effectiveness in VAS and FMMA than the group treated with acupuncture. There was no significant difference in MAS among groups. Conclusions : This study suggests that cotreatment with $Samgieum-gagam$, acupuncture and sweet bee venom acupuncture is more effective than acupuncture treatment only on post-stroke shoulder pain. Further study based on many other combination methods, larger population, and long term follow-up is needed to confirm this suggestion.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.125-133
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between postpartium joint diseases and maternal season. So it can prevent postpartum joint diseases and provide fundamental data about postpartum health care. Methods: The subject of the present study was 219 women (142 women who completed vaginal delivery and 77 women who delivered by cesarean section) who completed labor between November 1, 2013 and November 31, 2016, at the clinic of OB&GYN. They have been taking good care of their health at postpartum clinic in Andong Woori Women Hospital. We investigated the various symptoms and situation which occurred from the moment of hospital to postnatal admission health care period and oriental doctor examined the patients. We classified the symptoms by the age of patients, the method of delivery, the term of pregnancy, the body weight of infant, the weight change of mother and the way of feeding. Through data analysis, we investigated the correlation between maternal season and postpartum joint diseases. Results: Postpartum joint diseases were the most common among all symptoms after childbirth. Postpartum joint diseases were classified into shoulder area pain and low back pain. In low back pain, there was no significant difference between maternal season and postpartum joint diseases. In shoulder, wrist and finger pain, pain was the most severe at winter delivery. It was the most painful in winter, followed by autumn, spring and summer. Conclusion: There was a close correlation between postpartum joint disease manifestations and maternal season.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.407-420
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• 1995

This study was performed to evaluate and compare conservative treatment results by several parameters such as age, sex, symptom duration, type and timing of joint sound, parafunctional habits, splint type, and diagnostic classification. There have been too many articles reporting long term results of conservative treatment but articles related to comparison of treatment results by patients' self-evaluation have been rarely reported. For this study 258 patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMDs) were selected and examined by routine diagnostic procedure for TMDs. The subjects were classified into 5 TMDs subgroups ad treated with conservative treatments involving splints, physical modalities, jaw exercises, and counseling. Visual analogue scale(VAS) about pain, joint sound, and mouth opening limitation was recorded respectively during treatment period. From the VAS data and treatment duration, VAS treatment index(VAS Ti) was calculated. The obtained results were as follows : 1. Pain was the most frequent main symptom in subjects with temporomandibular disorders, and main symptom for mouth opening limitation was comparatively less than for pain or sound in disk displacement with reduction group or in degenerative joint disease group. 2. Degenerative joint disease group had the most poor treatment results and highest occlusal index of Helkim's index. 3. Good prognosis for conservative treatment was observed in acute group, under 6 months than chronic group, 6months over in symptom duration, and subjects with 40 years over in age showed the most poor prognosis. 4. Subjects treated with anterior repositioning splint had better treatment results than subjects treated with centric relation splint, but statistical significance in VAS Ti and treatment duration was not observed. 5. Treatment results according to affected side, types and point of joint sound did not show consistent statistical results. 6. The result for conservative treatment was observed poor in subjects with bruxism and clenching. 7. In studying coincidence between preferred chewing and affected side, frequency of preferred chewing side, in unilateral affection, was higher in ipsilateral than in contralateral side.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.210-219
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• 2001

Purpose: To examine the effects of the GEAP on pain, fatigue, self-esteem, perceived health status and self-efficacy in patients with chronic arthritis. Methods: One group Pre- & post-test design was used. Outcome domains included pain, number of painful joints, fatigue, self-esteem, perceived health status and self-efficacy. Thirty-four patients were recruited over four times from a rheumatic clinic affiliated to a university medical center in Seoul, Korea The GEAP is an exercise program modified by the investigators from PACE program which developed by Arthritis Foundation. The program duration is about 60 minutes, three times a week for 6 weeks. Participants were predominantly women (68%) ; on average 57.3 years old; and diagnossed with RA (58.8), osteoarthritis (29.4) or other (11.8). Results: After completing the GEAP, subjects showed significant improvement in pain (p=.02), number of painful joints (P= .04), fatigue (p= .0001), and perceived health status (P=.006). There were no improvements in self-esteem and self-efficacy score for adults with chronic rheumatic diseases. Conclusion: This study showed that the GEAP is an effective exercise intervention for improving outcomes for patients with chronic arthritis. More sample and research are needed to 1) accurately evaluate on self-esteem and self-efficacy; 2) understand and improve adherence. And also a longer follow up period is recommended to evaluate long-term effects of the PACE program.