• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.76-84
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• 2007

This study was designed to determine the efficacy of ultrasound and laser therapy for sub-acute lower back pain. Twenty-seven patients with sub-acute low back pain were recruited, who were randomly assigned to three groups: Ultrasound group (actual ultrasound, 1.1 MHz, $1.0W/cm^2$, duty cycle 100%, 10 min/session, n=9), laser group (actual laser, 904 nm, 155 ns, 13.5 W, 12 mW, 90 sec/point, n=9), and control group (placebo ultrasound or placebo laser, n=9). All of treatments including placebo procedures were applied to patients over a period of 2 weeks, five times a week. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Modified Schober's Test (MST), and Modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ) were used by the clinical and functional evaluations before and after intervention. At post-hoc, significant differences were observed in all groups with respect to VAS, MST (p<.05), except MODQ. VAS and MST score were more significantly improved in the ultrasound group than the laser and control group (p<.0167). However, no significant difference was present between the laser group and the control group. Therefore, this study revealed that ultrasound therapy was effective in pain relief and improvement of lumbar mobility in patients with sub-acute lower back pain. However, laser therapy did not show the effects for sub-acute lower back pain.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.137-143
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• 2014

Objectives Low back pain causes disability and incurs large socioeconomic burden. Many cases of acute low back pain progress into chronic conditions. As the treatment period extends, burden of socioeconomic expenses also rises. Thus this study is to investigate whether history period influences improvement rate of pain and disability in the patients who receive conservative Korean medicine treatment. Methods 447 inpatients who received conservative Korean Medicine treatment for the management of low back pain have been grouped into acute, sub-acute and chronic according to the length of history period. NRS, ODI and improvement rate of each group were investigated. Treatment every patient has received as follow; acupuncture, herbal medicine, Chuna manipulation, bee venom, and physical treatment. Results Acute patients showed improvement with NRS of $3.98{\pm}2.50$ and ODI of $28.04{\pm}21.54$. The NRS of sub-acute patients showed improvement with NRS of $2.81{\pm}2.07$, ODI also showed improvement with $11.64{\pm}13.94$. Statistically significant difference was observed in NRS, ODI and improvement for acute patients. Improvement in pain and disability was observed to be larger. Conclusions It demonstrated that receiving valid conservative Korean medicine treatment is beneficial for low back pain patients in improvement of their pain and disability.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2018

Backgrounds : In 2017, National Health Insurance implemented the pilot insuring project for Chuna manual therapy(CMT). 65 Korean Medicine(KM) hospitals and clinics were selected in the project to monitor the provision of insured CMT. Objectives : This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CMT for low back pain provided in the real world setting. Methods : Patients with low back pain who agreed to participated in the study were enrolled and requested to complete questionnaires. Patients who received CMT regardless of receiving other KM therapies were classified to Chuna group, and patient who received KM therapies without CMT to KM group. Pain(pain-VAS) and back function(KODI, Oswestry disability index-Korean version), quality of life were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Additionally, patients who received CMT twice and more, and who's pain-VAS 20 and over were included, and patients who used pain injection were excluded in the analysis. Results : Of 371 patients who completed all questionnaire (mean age=42.6years, SD=12.45; 61% female), 96 were excluded, 170 were in Chuna group, and 105 were in KM group. Proportions of patients who had low back pain for more than twelve weeks in the Chuna group and KM group were 57.7% and 24.8%, respectively. Pain and back function were significantly improved on 4weeks and 8weeks in both groups, but there was no difference between two groups. For the patients in the sub-acute and chronic stage(>=12 weeks), change of total KODI scores in the Chuna group was higher than KM group(p=0.013) at 4weeks. Conclusions : CMT with other KM therapies can improve back function in the sub-acute and chronic patients. For insurance policy decision, economic evaluation of CMT is needed.