• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.730-740
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• 2022

Objective : Although several commercialized bone cements are used during percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF), there are no reports using domestic products from South Korea. In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of Spinofill^® (Injecta Inc., Gunpo, Korea), a new polymethyl methacrylate product. Methods : A prospective, single-center, and single-arm clinical trial of 30 participants who underwent PVP using Spinofill^® for painful thoracolumbar OVCF was performed with 6-months follow-up. Clinical and surgical outcomes included the Visual analog scale (VAS), Korean-Oswestry disability index (K-ODI), and Odom's criteria, complication rate, and recurrence rate. Radiological outcomes were evaluated by measuring the findings of postoperative computed tomography and simple radiograph. Results : The pain of VAS (from 8.95±1.05 to 4.65±2.06, p<0.001) and the life quality based on K-ODI (from 33.95±5.84 to 25.65±4.79, p<0.001) improved significantly, and successful patient satisfaction were achieved in 20 patients (66.7%) 1 day after surgery. These immediate improvements were maintained or more improved during the follow-up. There was no surgery- or product-related complications, but OVCF recurred in two patients (6.7%). Favorable cement interdigitation was reported in 24 patients (80.0%), and extra-vertebral cement leakage was reported in 13 patients (43.0%). The mean vertebral height ratio (from 60.49%±21.97% to 80.07%±13.16%, p<0.001) and segmental kyphotic angle (from 11.46°±8.50° to 7.79°±6.08°, p=0.002) improved one day after surgery. However, these short-term radiological findings somewhat regressed at the end. Conclusion : The overall outcomes of PVP using Spinofill^® were as favorable as those of other conventionally used products.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2022

Background: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial that aimed to evaluate the anesthetic efficacy of 2% lidocaine combined with different concentrations of epinephrine (plain, 1:200,000 and 1:80,000) during endodontic treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Methods: The trial included 144 adult patients who were randomly allocated to three treatment groups. All patients received buccal-plus-palatal infiltration. After 10 min, pulp sensibility testing was performed using an electric pulp test (EPT). If a tooth responded positively, anesthesia was considered to have failed. In the case of a negative EPT response, endodontic access was initiated under rubber dam isolation. The success of anesthesia was defined as having a pain score less than 55 on the Heft Parker visual analog scale (HP VAS), which was categorized as 'no pain' or 'faint/weak/mild' pain on the HP VAS. Baseline pre-injection and post-injection maximum heart rates were recorded. The Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze the anesthetic success rates at 5% significance. Results: Plain 2% lidocaine and 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine and 1:80,000 epinephrine had anesthetic success rates of 18.75%, 72.9%, and 82.3%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the groups (P < 0.001, 𝛘² = 47.5, df = 2). The maximum heart rate increase was seen with 2% lidocaine solution with epinephrine. Conclusion: Adding epinephrine to 2% lidocaine significantly improves its anesthetic success rates during the root canal treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

Purpose : Lymphedema is a common complication in mastectomy patients and is usually characterized by pain, swelling, and limited range of motion (ROM) in the arm. Electromyostimulation (EMS) is widely used for the rehabilitation and recovery of subjects with various neuromusculoskeletal disorders after breast cancer. However, EMS has not yet been used in many Pilates exercises. This study was aimed at comparing the effects of instrument Pilates integrated with EMS on pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the upper extremity (UE) in breast cancer subjects after mastectomy. Methods : Nine female breast cancer subjects who had undergone mastectomy participated in the study. The subjects underwent instrument Pilates with EMS (experimental group) or instrument Pilates only (control group). Pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the UE were measured using the visual analog scale (VAS), the circumference length of the UE, and the ROM of the UE. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pain, lymphedema, and ROM of the arm before and after the intervention, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the two groups. The statistical significance level was set to p < .05. Results : In the experimental group, there were significant differences in pain (p<.05) and UE circumference (p<.05) before and after intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in VAS (p>.05) or circumference length of the UE (p>.05). There was one significant difference between the groups in terms of internal rotation of the ROM of the UE (p<.05). Conclusion : These results show that instrument Pilates exercises combined with EMS may positively affect the internal rotation of the ROM of the UE in breast cancer patients after mastectomy, thus contributing to existing knowledge about instrument Pilates using EMS for the effective management of in breast cancer subjects after mastectomy.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.219-228
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• 2022

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to suggest a more effective method by comparing the effects of changes in pain intensity, muscle strength, and athletic performance after applying a 6-week eccentric training program (ET-MWM) or concentric training program (CT-MWM) with MWM for high school baseball players with shoulder internal impingement (SII). Methods : A total of 75 participants were randomly assigned to each group and divided into two groups, "ET-MWM group (n=35)" and "CT-MWM group (n=32)" according to the intervention method. Pain intensity, muscle strength (external rotation, internal rotation), and athletic performance were first measured before the intervention, and after the intervention 3 times a week for a total of 6 weeks, both groups were re-measured in the same way. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used for pain intensity, biodex dynamometer for muscle strength (60 °/sec.), and Kerlan-Jobe orthopedic clinic shoulder & elbow score (K-KJOC) for athletic performance. Results : As a result of analyzing the homogeneity of the pre-intervention characteristics and initial measurement variables of the study subjects, there was no significant difference between the two groups in all variable values. Pain intensity (VAS) was significantly reduced in the ET-MWM group than in the CT-MWM group (p<.05). In addition, the maximum muscle strength of external rotation & internal rotation of the shoulder (60 °/sec.) and athletic performance (K-KJOC) were significantly increased in the ET-MWM group than in the CT-MWM group (p<.05). Conclusion : Compared with the CT-MWM training program, the ET-MWM training program reduced shoulder joint pain and further increased the muscle strength required for throwing motion in high school baseball players. As the result showed better athletic performance improvement, the ET-MWM training program can be clinically recommended as a more effective intervention.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.336-344
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• 2022

Background: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has prohibited epidural steroid injection (ESI) with particulate steroids. Thus, this study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ESI with two nonparticulate steroids, dexamethasone and betamethasone. Methods: The eligible patients (n = 600) who received ESI (0 week) with dexamethasone (ESI-dexa) or betamethasone (ESI-beta) had follow-up visits at 2, 4, and 8 weeks with a phone interview at 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the proportion of effective responders without pain or who were much improved at 2 weeks. The secondary endpoints were the proportion of crossover injections at 2 weeks; changes in the visual analog scale (VAS) and disability index scores at 2, 4, and 8 weeks; the number of additional ESIs in 12 weeks; the number of participants having spinal surgery, as well as the incidence of adverse events over the 12 weeks. Results: The proportion of effective responders at 2 weeks was not different between ESI-beta (72/216, 33.3%) and ESI-dexa (63/200, 31.5%; P = 0.670). Adverse events were more common with ESI-dexa (40/200, 20.0%) than with ESI-beta (24/216, 11.1%; P = 0.012). VAS scores decreased more with ESI-beta than with ESI-dexa at 2 weeks (difference, 0.35; P = 0.023) and 4 weeks (difference, 0.42; P = 0.011). The disability score improved significantly more with ESI-beta compared with ESI-dexa at 2 weeks (difference, 3.37; P = 0.009), 4 weeks (difference, 4.01; P = 0.002), and 8 weeks (difference, 3.54; P = 0.007). Conclusions: Betamethasone would be more appropriate for ESI.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.16-34
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• 2023

Herpes zoster (HZ) results from the reactivation of a varicella-zoster virus infection and is accompanied by moderate-to-severe pain in most patients. The most common treatment is medication; however, there are still limitations. Acupuncture reportedly has meaningful therapeutic effects and is a possible alternative option in HZ. However, no systematic reviews examining the use of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture (EA) alone have been published; in this study, we therefore aimed to systematically review those techniques. We searched for clinical trials of acupuncture and EA treatment for HZ up to October 2022. Trials that used acupuncture were included. Outcomes were visual analog scale (VAS) and effective rate. Secondary outcomes were time to pain relief, time to pain elimination, incrustation, decrustation, lastly incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). In total, 22 randomized controlled trials were included in this research. Compared with conventional medication therapy, acupuncture was associated with a significant improvement in VAS, effective rate, and times to pain relief and elimination. Times to new blister cessation, incrustation, and decrustation (days) were significantly improved. Furthermore, the incidence rate of PHN was lower in acupuncture groups. The results suggest that acupuncture could be a reasonable treatment option for patients with HZ who suffer from pain and accompanying symptoms.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.356-362
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• 2022

Objectives: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was designed to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of the periotome and piezotome as aids for atraumatic extraction and its sequalae. Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised 48 teeth, equally allotted to the piezotome or periotome groups by random allocation, in participants aged 19-62 years. All samples in both groups had either complete tooth structure or intact roots without crowns and had mobility ≤grade II. Clinical parameters of operative duration, presence or absence of gingival laceration, reported operative and postoperative pain, and intake of analgesics following extraction were recorded. IBM SPSS software package version 22 was used for data entry and analysis. Results: The mean operation time was significantly (P≤0.05) longer in the piezotome group than in the periotome group. However, fewer gingival lacerations were observed with use of a piezotome than with a periotome, although no significant difference was observed. The piezotome group reported significantly (P≤0.05) higher visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores during the procedure and non-significantly higher scores thereafter until the third postoperative day. In the piezotome group, the dosage of analgesic was higher, although the periotome group had a higher percentage of participants who used analgesics postoperatively; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The present clinical trial favors the use of periotome over piezotome for atraumatic extraction due to shorter operating time, lower postoperative VAS pain scores, and lower dosage of analgesics despite the superior ability of the piezotome to prevent gingival laceration.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.58-66
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deltoid ligament repair on syndesmotic stabilization in patients with acute ankle fractures with ruptured deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 41 patients (41 ankles) who underwent surgery for Weber type B ankle fracture with ruptured deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments were retrospectively analyzed. The mean follow-up duration was 36 months (range 18~65 months). Patients were divided into two groups: those that underwent deltoid ligament repair (the deltoid group) and those who did not (the non-deltoid group). Both groups were also divided into two subgroups, namely, the D1/S1 group, which underwent syndesmotic screw fixation, or the D2/S2 group, which did not. Medial clear space (MCS), tibiofibular clear space (TFCS), anterior fibular line (AFL) ratio, and posterior fibular line (PFL) distance were measured, and visual analog scale (VAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), and Foot Function Index (FFI) scores were evaluated. Results: TFCS changed significantly after surgery in the D2 and S1 groups (p=0.01, p=0.03, respectively). Subgroup MCSs, TFCSs, and AFL ratios were not significantly altered by surgery in the four subgroups (p=0.82, p=0.45, p=0.25, respectively). However, postoperative PFL distances were significantly different in the D2 and S1 groups and the S1 and S2 groups (p=0.02, p=0.02, respectively). Mean TFCS decreased significantly after surgery in the D2 and S1 groups. The postoperative VAS, AOFAS scores, and FFI were not significantly different between the subgroups (p=0.44, p=0.40, and p=0.46, respectively). Conclusion: Deltoid ligament repair seemed to restore ankle stability without addressing syndesmosis in Weber type B ankle fractures with rupture of deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pain, static balance, and dynamic balance abilities of women with chronic low back pain by performing thoracic and hip joint mobility exercises and lumbar stability exercises. Methods: The subjects of this study were 20 adult women with low back pain who lived in C city for more than 12 weeks. The experimental group performed the thoracic and hip mobility exercises with lumbar stability exercises and the control group performed the lumbar stability exercise with general exercise program. Both groups participated in the exercise program three times a week for six weeks, from December 20, 2022 to March 7, 2023. The balance ability were measured using BT4, and pain was measured using visual analog scale (VAS). The collected data were analyzed by independent sample t-test and paired t-test using SPSS version 23.0 program. Results: After 6 weeks of intervention, there was a significant change in VAS between the experimental group and the control group, and there was no difference between the two groups (p>.05). In the case of balance ability, there was a no significant increase in the experimental group (p>.05). Conclusion: Thoracic and hip joint mobility exercises and lumbar stability exercises for adult female patients with chronic low back pain may be partially effective in static balance and dynamic balance.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.87-92
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• 2023

Purpose: Concomitant ankle injuries associated with tibial shaft fractures can affect postoperative ankle joint pain and various postoperative ankle complications. This study compared the clinical outcomes between surgical treatment and conservative treatment of concomitant ankle injuries associated with tibial shaft fractures. Materials and Methods: From January 2015 to June 2020, a retrospective study was conducted on 118 tibia shaft fractures at the orthopedics department of the hospital. Associated ankle injuries were analyzed using plain radiographs, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and intraoperative stress exams. The clinical outcomes were compared using the pain visual analog scale (pain VAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot score (AOFAS score), and Karlsson-Peterson ankle score (KP score). Results: Seventy-two (61.02%) of the 118 cases were diagnosed with associated ankle injuries. Fifty-six cases underwent surgery for the ankle injury, and 16 cases underwent conservative treatment. The clinical results (according to the pain VAS score, AOFAS score, the KP score) were 1.79±1.26, 94.48±4.03, and 94.57±3.60, respectively, in the surgical treatment group, and 3.00±1.03, 91.06±3.02, and 91.25±3.31, respectively, in the conservative treatment group. Conclusion: Surgical treatment showed better clinical outcomes than conservative treatment in concomitant ankle injury in tibia fractures. Therefore, surgical treatment produces better clinical outcomes than conservative treatment in concomitant ankle injuries in tibia fractures. Hence to improve the clinical outcomes, more attention is needed on ankle joint injury in tibial shaft fractures for selecting suitable surgical treatments for those patients.