• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the improvement in patients with lumbar, cervical or radiating pain to the extremity by means of acupotomy. Methods : We treated 5 patients who have a disease related with lumbar or cervical spine with acupotomy combined with oriental medical treatment. We checked numeric rating scale(NRS), oswestry low back pain disability index(ODI) or neck disability index(NDI), and range of motion(ROM). Results : NRS and ODI/NDI were decreased, and ROM improved at all cases. Conclusions : This study shows acupotomy has a meaningful effect when applied on lumbar and cervical spine.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2010

Objects : This study was to report a clinical effect of Chuna Treatment for a patient diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) as Cervical Myelopathy. Methods: In order to alleviate shoulder pain and neck stiffness, the patient was treated by acupuncture therapy, herbal medicine, phamacopucture, cervical traction technique of Chuna treatment and conservative managements. To evaluate the effect of the treatment, Recovery rate of Hirabayashi, VAS(Visual Anlaogue Scale), NDI and ROM(Range of Motion) were used. Lhermitte's sign, Valsalva test, Distraction test, Compression test and Spurling test were carried out. Results: VAS, NDI and ROM were improved and Recovery rate was 100%. Conclusions: Korean Treatment can be effectively used for a patient with Cervical Myelopathy. Further clinical studies are needed to verify the findings.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2014

Purpose : The purpose of this work was to ascertain the effects of cervical traction on the pain, the range of motion and the quality of sleep of the older women with the tension headache. Method : 25 subjects between ages 66 and 82 who agreed on this experiment and diagnosed with tension headache participated in this study. All subjects were treated with air-pressure cervical traction while 20 minutes a day, 3 times per week, for 4 weeks. The effects of air-pressure cervical traction were evaluated by PSQI(Pittsburgh sleep quality index), a pain last a day, VAS, and four ROMs. In order to investigate the effect of age on the treatment, subjects were divided into two groups, of less and of over than age 75. The measured data were analyzed by using one-way repeated ANOVA and two-way repeated ANOVA. Result : 1) The group of less than age 75 showed the significant improvements in all measurement variables, PSQI, a pain last a day, VAS and four ROMs. 2) The group of over than age 75 showed the significant improvements in all measurement variables excluding the flexion ROM of cervical. 3) No significant differences between two groups were showed in all measurement variables, but the interaction effect between group and period was significant in only VAS. Conclusion : From the results of this study, a cervical traction intervention using an air-pressure cervical traction proved to be effective on the reduction of tension headache and the improvement of the quality of sleep.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2007

Background: Cervical radicular pain can arise fromvarious structures, including spinal nerves, discs, zygapophyseal joints, ligaments, and myofascial connective tissue. However, no adequate experiments have been found regarding methods for the microadhesiolysis of adhesional connective tissue around the zygapophyseal joints and nerves. The first objective of this study was to ascertain the effect of fluoroscopy guided interventional microadhesiolysis and nerve stimulation (FIMS) on chronic cervical radicular pain caused by zygapophyseal joint dysfunction. The second objective was to identify the duration of pain alleviation, as well as commonly occurring regions for zygapophyseal joint dysfunction. Methods: Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with cervical radicular pain. The cervical zygapophyseal joints and adhesional structures around the cervical zygapophyseal joints were stimulated by adhesiolysis with a rounded needle; the procedure was performed once every second week. A visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and neck range of motion (ROM) were used as indices for evaluating the degree of pain 1 and 3 months after completion of the procedures. A relief effect of FIMS was accepted when the VAS index decreased 50% compared with a previous VAS, and when there was absence of limitation of ROM. Results: Among the patients, 52% showed zygapophyseal joint dysfunction in C5-6, 38% in C4-5, 7% in C2-3, and 3% in C6-7. After performing FIMS, the VAS index decreased in most of the patients after 1 and 3 months (92.8% and 75%, respectively), and treatment frequency was $2.7{\pm}1.2$. There was no correlation between the number of FIMS procedures and the degree of VAS. Conclusions: FIMS is considered an effective modality in patients suffering from cervical radicular pain.

• The Journal of Korea CHUNA Manual Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.67-82
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• 2000

To clarify the effect of chuna treatment reached at neck pain, the faculties of Oriental Rehabilitation Medicine in Hospital of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee Medical Center had carried out chuna treatment for 72 patients who had neither structural defectiveness of cervical spine nor neural injury but simple soft tissue damage among people who visited the hospital with the neck pain since Jun. 11, 1997 to Dec. 31 in the year. The way of study: 32 out of 72 patients were treated by acupuncture treatment going with chuna treatment (calling 'Group A') and the other 40 patients were cured by only acupuncture (calling 'Group B'). The treatment in both Group A and B were performed 6 times totally at intervals of a time for 2 days. To judge the effect of treatment, both method-visual analog scale(VAS) and ,check of ROM-were performed each time. The results of study 1. Each one in Group A itself, according to the number of the treatment in progress, showed the note worthy decrease of pain and improvement of range of motion(ROM) in the cervical(P <0.001). 2. Each one in Group B itself, according to the number of the treatment in progress, showed the note worthy decrease of pain and improvement of range of motion(ROM) in the cervical(P <0.001). 3. In the degree of improvement in pain, the Group A who had been treated by both acupuncture and chuna treatment at the same lime showed some meaningful decrease in pain compared to the Group B with acupuncture treatment alone(P <0.001). 4. In the degree of improvement in ROM, the Group A who were treated by both chuna and acupuncture treatment had meaningful improvement compared to Group B who got the only acupuncture treatment(P <0.001).

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.379-385
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was to determine the immediate effects of pulsed magnetic field (PMF) in subjects with upper trapezius (UT) trigger point (TrP). Methods: Fifteen subjects with UT TrP were recruited for the study's PMF group (pain threshold=$2.29kg/cm^2$), and 15 age-, weight-, and gender-matched subjects with UT TrP were recruited for control group (pain threshold=$2.25kg/cm^2$). Pressure algometer was used to measure pressure pain threshold on UT TrP and, cervical range of motion (ROM) inclinometer was used to measure cervical ROM. Surface electromyography was used to record UT, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior muscle activity and relative ratio during scapular plane abduction between pre- and post-treatment. Results: The PMF effectively improved pain threshold and concurrently increased ROM (rotation to the painful side, lateral flexion to the nonpainful side). In addition, the PMF may effectively deactivate UT activity during abduction and the muscle activity ratio between UT and serratus anterior. Conclusion: These findings provided empirical evidence that PMF can be an effective treatment method to reduce pain threshold, to increase cervical ROM, and deactivate UT activity in individuals with TrP.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.145-156
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• 2010

Objects: This study was to report a clinical effect of Chuna Treatment for a patient diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) as Cervical Myelopathy. Methods: In order to alleviate shoulder pain and neck stiffness, the patient was treated by acupuncture therapy, herbal medicine, pharmacopucture, cervical traction technique of Chuna treatment and conservative managements. To evaluate the effect of the treatment, Recovery rate of Hirabayashi, VAS(Visual Analogue Scale), NDI and ROM(Range of Motion) were used. Lhermitte's sign, Valsalva test, Distraction test, Compression test and Spurling test were carried out. Results: VAS, NDI and ROM were improved and Recovery rate was 100%. Conclusions: Korean Treatment can be effectively used for a patient with Cervical Myelopathy. Further clinical studies are needed to verify the findings.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.943-950
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare by finite element analysis the biomechanical performance, in terms of cervical stand-alone cage screw insert angle (Type 3 - 5: 2 Screws) and screw arrangement (Type 6 and 7: 3 Screws / Type 8 and 9: 4 Screws), and the range of motion (ROM) of traditional anterior cervical discectomy of a fusion device (Type 1: Cage / Type 2: Cage + ACP). Our study suggests that the biomechanical behavior of a postoperative cervical spine could indeed be influenced by design features, such as screw angle and number of screws. In particular, ROM and the risk of subsidence were more sensitive during extension about type 5 (Insert Angle $20^{\circ}$). Our study also suggested that the number of screw asymmetries between up and down for type 6 and 7 could result in differences in the risk of screw fracture manifesting in different clinical aspects.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2020

Background: Thoracic spine self-mobilization exercise is commonly used to manage patients with neck pain. However, no previous studies have investigated the effects of thoracic spine self-mobilization exercise alone in patients with chronic neck pain. Objects: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of thoracic self-mobilization using a tool on cervical range of motion (ROM), disability level, upper body posture, pain and fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ) in patients with chronic neck pain. Methods: The subjects were 49 patients (21 males, 28 females) with chronic neck pain. The subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG, n = 23) and control group (CG, n = 26). For the EG, thoracic self-mobilization was applied. We placed a tool (made with 2 tennis balls) under 3 different vertebral levels (T1-4, T5-8, T9-12) of the thoracic spine and the subjects performed crunches, which included thoracic flexion and extension in supine position. Five times × 3 sets for each levels, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Cervical pain, disability, upper body posture, FABQ results, and ROM were evaluated at baseline, after 4 weeks of intervention, and at 8 weeks of follow-up. Assessments included the quadruple visual analogue scale (QVAS); Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire (NPQ); craniovertebral angles (CVA), forward shoulder angle (FSA) and kyphosis angle (KA) measurements for upper body posture; FABQ and cervical ROM testing. Results: The EG showed a statistically significant improvement after intervention in the QVAS (-51.16%); NPQ (-53.46%); flexion (20.95%), extension (25.32%), left rotation (14.04%), and right rotation (25.32%) in the ROM of the cervical joint; KA (-7.14%); CVA (9.82%); and FSA (-4.12%). Conclusion: These results suggest that, for patients with chronic neck pain, thoracic self-mobilization exercise using a tool (tennis balls) is effective to improve neck pain, disability level, the ROM, and upper body posture.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the effect of spinal decompression with Korean medicine treatment on the herniation of an intervertebral disc (HIVD) in a patient after fusion surgery of a cervical segment. Methods : A single patient was treated with spinal decompression, acupuncture, pharmacoacupuncture, and herbal medication. We measured the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), European Quality of Life-5 Dimension (EQ-5D), Cervical Range of Motion (cervical ROM) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score to evaluate the treatment effects. Results : The patient's post neck pain & pain in both arms improved significantly as suggested by the scores on the NRS, NDI, EQ5D, cervical ROM and BDI. Conclusions : Thus, spinal decompression, including Korean medicine treatment, could be taken into consideration for HIVD patients after fusion surgery.