• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.284-293
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• 2017

Thread embedding therapy is used increasingly for various disease including neck pain. However, the evidence of thread embedding therapy on neck pain and the assessment of their methodology are still limited. This study aimed to investigate the clinical research methodology using thread embedding therapy on neck pain. Thread embedding therapy is used increasingly for various disease including neck pain. However, the evidence of thread embedding therapy on neck pain and the assessment of their methodology are still limited. This study aimed to investigate the clinical research methodology using thread embedding therapy on neck pain. Total 31 studies were included in analysis. Thread embedding therapy usually was used once a week(32.3%), once per 10days(29.0%), once per two weeks (25.8%). The most common concurrent treatment used with thread embedding therapy was Chinese medicine. Among acupuncture points, EX-B2 (61.3%) was most commonly used, followed by GV14(45.2%), GB20(29.0%), GB21(22.6%). For control group, acupuncture were most commonly used(58.1%). All studies reported that the effect of thread embedding therapy was more effective compared to control group. and 11 studies reported side effects. Only 13 studies(41.9%) reported the appropriate randomization method, and the mean Jadad score of included studies was 1.52. Previous clinical trials included in this study showed the effect of thread embedding therapy for neck pain. However, the quality of the studies was not high. Further rigorous clinical trials are need to assess the effect of thread embedding therapy.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.151-160
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review the thread embedding treatment studies of obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Methods : We reviewed 59 studies on cat-gut-embedding treatment of obesity which were published from 2005 to 2012. The studies were searched using the data base-CAJ(China Academic Journals; 中國期刊全文數據庫)(2005~2012). Results : Selected 59 studies were divided into 27 case series and 32 control studies. The number of studies has increased since 2005, more rapidly in 2011~2012. Most case series reported were about effectiveness of thread embedding monotherapy treating obesity. Control studies reported were about effectiveness of thread embedding treatment compared with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and medicine. Most studies on thread embedding treatment of obesity showed that its effectiveness was very good. Conclusions : There have been many reports of thread embedding treatment studies of obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We believed that these studies could be applied to the clinical practice and basic research in Korea.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.93-113
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• 2016

Objectives : The focus of the review was laid on differences in research pertaining to thread embedding acupuncture between domestic and foreign journals. Methods : We collected 53 Korean articles on thread embedding acupuncture study from 4 Korean article searching sites, and 80 foreign articles from Pubmed. We analyzed the number of the theses according to the publication year, study method, journal, and subject. Results : A total number of 134 thread embedding acupuncture articles were categorized as 100 clinical trials, 14 experimental papers, and 19 literature reviews. Of the collected clinical trials, 55 were case studies, 6 were CCTs and 39 were RCTs. The domestic clinical trials were comprised of 36 case studies, 1 CCT, and 2 RCTs, and foreign clinical trials were comprised of 19 case studies, 5 CCTs, and 37 RCTs. Although only 12 of the 39 domestic clinical trials exclusively treated thread embedding acupuncture to the experimental group, 38 out of 61 foreign clinical trials undertook thread embedding acupuncture as the sole treatment. While the 2 domestic RCTs research had no significant evidence that the experimental group was different from the control group, the experimental group demonstrated better responses than the control group in 31 of the 37 foreign RCT studies. Conclusions : Studies on thread embedding acupuncture are more intensively studied in the foreign field in comparison to the domestic field. Referring to the results from the foreign thread embedding acupuncture studies, domestic use of thread embedding acupuncture should be expanded. Also, more refined research needs to be conducted in the domestic field in order for the Koran medicine to lead the thread embedding acupuncture. This study is limited in that the literature search in the foreign journals were restricted.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.103-112
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• 2016

Objective : Thread embedding acupuncture has become popular as a minimally invasive treatment for facial wrinkles and laxity. However, there is little published clinical practice guidelines about disinfection, sterilization and aseptic technique for thread embedding acupuncture. This study is to introducing a specific guidelines about disinfection, sterilization and aseptic technique for thread embedding acupuncture.Method : We reviewed internal regulations and guidelines about hospital infection, and Traditional Korean medicine doctors, nurses, and director of central supply room discussed in depth and established a regulation of disinfection, sterilization and aseptic technique for thread embedding acupuncture.Result : The regulation of disinfection, sterilization and aseptic technique for thread embedding acupuncture consisted of ① management of supplies, ② guidelines of disinfection, sterilization, and reuse, ③ aseptic technique for thread embedding acupuncture.Conclusion : Microbial management is an essential element of medical care and quality. Traditional Korean medicine doctors will care for disinfection, sterilization, and this should not neglect to comply with the procedures and guidelines in the medical field as well as to understand the aseptic techniques.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.16-44
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• 2014

Objective : To search the trend of studying thread-embedding therapy in Korean medicine academia up to now and to expand the range of using thread-embedding therapy in the future, this study was designed. Methods : Using search portal sites the following; http://oasis.kiom.re.kr, http://www.riss.re.kr, collected 37 articles and devided those three parts and classificated those into four subsection as follows; total analysis, original article, case report. Results : The number of articles are 8 review articles, 14 original articles, 15 case reports. In the year 2013, 14 articles were published and ranked highest(37.8%). The journal of acupuncture & moxibustion medicine society ranked highest(40.5%). 5 persons ranked highest(32.4%) in number of author. Facial beauty care ranked highest(21.6%) in clssification of disease. Remedy item ranked highest(50.0%) in classification of subjects of 8 review articles. No more than 25 persons ranked highest(66.7%) and 6~12months of treatment period ranked highest(33.3%) in 14 original articles. Conclusions : Thread-embedding therapy is considered very useful on various part of Korean medicine clinic. We need to expand application scope of thread-embedding therapy in the future.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-58
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of treatment with thread-embedding therapy for 24 patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). The muscle spasm of these patients was treated with thread-embedding therapy. Patients with nuchal pain were treated with tendino-musculature acupuncture in the sternocleidomastoid, splenius, and trapezius muscles. We evaluated the treatment effect using the Scott's scale, where 20, 3, 1, and 0 patients presented Scott's grade 0, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3, respectively. The grade of the spasm intensity decreased noticeably after treatment. The results revealed that the Scott's grade changed to 0 in 83.3% of HFS patients, and 91.7% patients felt satisfied with thread-embedding therapy. These findings suggested that thread-embedding therapy was effective and can be used widely for HFS.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 2017

About 60% to 90% of a total population experience low back pain at least once of life, and about 35% to 79% among them experience a recurrent and chronic low back pain. thread-embedding therapy is mainly used to improve appearance or treat obesity in early stage, but recently it is also used to treat musculoskeletal pain. This study aimed to search Chinese study using thread-embedding therapy on low back pain and to analyse their methodology. Three Chinese database(CNKI(www.cnki.net), WANFANG(www.wanfangdata.com), WEIPU(www.cqvip.com)) were searched for clinical study of thread-embedding therapy up to March 2016. The characteristics of included studies and regimen of thread-embedding in those studies were analyzed. The total 21 studies (4 case studies, 16 non-randomized controlled trials, 1 randomized controlled trial) were included. All studies on thread embedding treatment of low back pain reported that its effectiveness was very good. The most frequently used acupoints was Ashi acupoints and acupoints on bladder meridian(BL) or governor vessel(GV). Thread-embedding therapy is considered very useful for low back pain in Traditional Chinese medicine. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of thread-embedding therapy and to expand its application. This study is limited in that the literature search in the Chinese database were restricted.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

Objectives : This study was to investigate the effectiveness of thread-embedding therapy for the treatment of acute phase of Bell's palsy. Methods : Thread-embedding therapy was performed once a week on 29 patients within 1 weeks after the onset. We investigated the general characters, Yanagihara's score, House-Brackmann scale and FDI were used to evaluate the effectiveness of thread-embedding therapy. Results : Facial muscle recovery began at 13.37th day, that was about 0.36 day earlier than the previous patients who were treated without thread-embedding therapy in 2017 at the same hospital, but there was no statistical significance. In the change of each scale before and after treatment, Yanagihara's score, House-Brackmann scale, physical function and social function of FDI were changed significantly. Compared with the patients treated without thread-embedding therapy in 2017, Yanagihara's score was a little higher and House-Brackmann scale was a little lower. Conclusions : These findings suggested that thread-embedding therapy on acute phase of Bell's palsy was a little more effective than the conventional therapy without thread-embedding therapy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.119-133
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• 2015

Objective : Thread embedding acupuncture has become popular as a minimally invasive treatment for facial wrinkles and laxity. However, there is little published clinical practice guidelines. This study is to developing a specific procedure of thread embedding acupuncture for facial wrinkles and laxity. Method : We reviewed and summarized 6 studies on thread embedding acupuncture for facial wrinkles and laxity. And, four practitioners who have more than four year of clinical experience and one hundred of cases were participated in developing a thread embedding acupuncture procedure for facial wrinkles and laxity. Result and conclusion : We developed a thread embedding acupuncture procedure for facial wrinkles and laxity which consists of correction of lower jaw, facial laxity, nasolabial fold and eye wrinkles.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.64-67
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of thread-embedding therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. There were 20 patients treated with thread-embedding therapy at various acupoints on the muscles around the knee. Gender, age, location, morbidity period, numeric rating scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index, improvement result, side effects, and patient's satisfaction were investigated. After the treatment, the NRS score (z = -4.07, p < 0.001) and WOMAC (p < 0.001) indices decreased in most patients. The NRS score decreased by more than 2 points in 95% of the patients. The WOMAC index decreased by 6-12 points. There were no serious side effects, although bruising, pain, and edema were observed. Overall, 85% of the patients felt satisfied with the thread-embedding therapy. These findings suggested that thread-embedding therapy was effective and may be used widely for knee osteoarthritis.