• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.127-134
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• 2019

The Objective of this study is to report the results of greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) patient with Korean medicine therapy. There were insufficient clinical trials and case reports of GTPS treated with Korean medicine, we report the GTPS case remarkably improved treatment results. We treated the patient with acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, Chuna manual therapy and herbal medication. To evaluate the treatment effects, we used the measures including Verbal numerical rating scale, Oswestry disability index and Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-gluteal tendinopathy scale. After total of 26 days of treatment, the patient's hip pain and disability were greatly reduced, and the outcome measures showed this great improvement. Korean medicine therapy might be effective in GTPS, although further study is needed to determine the role for Korean medicine.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.45-59
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• 2023

Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the trends of researches on oriental medicine treatments for supraspinatus tendinopathy. Methods We used five databases for searching researches; Korean studies Information Service System, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Research Information Sharing Service, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Only randomized controlled trials suitable for the subject were selected. The methodological quality of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Twenty randomized controlled trials were analyzed. There were 9 types of treatment interventions; acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, electroacupuncture, fire needling, warming needle, catgut-embedding therapy, herbal medicine, cupping. The most frequently used treatment intervention was acupuncture and acupotomy. There were 9 outcome measurements including visual analog scale (VAS), Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and range of motion. The most used measurement was VAS. As a result of meta-analysis, acupuncture was more effective than control group in VAS. Additionally, acupotomy was clinically significant compared to control groups in VAS and CMS. Conclusions In this review, we analyzed researches on effectiveness of oriental medicine for supraspinatus tendinopathy. A provisional conclusion can be produced that acupuncture and acupotomy showed beneficial effect to supraspinatus tendinopathy. Although there were some RCT studies, many of them had a high risk of bias, so it is hard to conclude that our study can include overall clinical status. Further well-designed trials are needed.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.127-136
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to report a clinical progress of fibromyalgia syndrom patient treated by Korean Medicine treatment. The patient was treated with acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture (Bee venom, Hwangryun, Hominis Placental), herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping treatment. We measured Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), American College of Rheumatology Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria (ACR, 2010), Fibromyalgia Impact Qustionnaire (FIQ), and observed the change in body temperature using Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI). After Korean Medicine treatment, pain was controlled and VAS, ACR, FIQ were decreased. The result showed that Korean Medicine treatment is effective in fibromyalgia syndrome.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.863-869
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this case study was to report the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment on severe lumbar disc herniation patient diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: The patient was treated with complex Korean medicine treatment, including acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, and Chu-na treatment. The treatment effect was evaluated by a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and MRI. Results: After the treatment, the NRS score of pain intensity was reduced from severe to mild degree. The volume of extruded disc in MRI images was clearly reduced. Conclusion: Korean medicine treatment might be effective in patients with lumbar disc herniation.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.173-181
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this review was to appraise Korean studies published between 2010 and 2021 which examined the role of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. Methods: We performed a search of the NDSL, KISS, RISS, OASIS, PubMed, EMBASE electronic databases for relevant animal researches, case reports, and clinical trials, using the following search terms: 'obesity', 'acupuncture', 'electroacupuncture', and 'pharmacopuncture'. We excluded previous reviews and meta-analyses, studies not related to obesity or acupuncture treatment, as well as studies conducted in countries other than Korea. We also excluded studies where relevant information on acupuncture treatment in obesity could not be obtained. Results: Most studies were conducted in animals, followed by case reports and clinical trials. In animal researches and case reports, pharmacopuncture was the most used intervention. In case studies, electroacupuncture, thread-embedding therapy, manual acupuncture, acupotomy, and auricular acupuncture were also used. In animal researches, pharmacopuncture treatment was associated with improvement in obesity indices. In the case of local obesity, specific acupuncture techniques such as thread-embedding therapy and pharmacopuncture were associated with significant improvements in local obesity, even when diet and exercise were not controlled for. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment showed significant benefit in the treatment of obesity, with a local effect evident for certain approaches, such thread-embedding therapy and acupotomy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.265-271
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• 2023

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a disease that narrows the spinal canal, causing neurological symptoms. To date, there have been several reports on traditional Korean medicine treatments for OPLL; however, there is no study on complex acupuncture treatment. Herein, we report 2 cases of cervical OPLL involving cervical pain, upper limb radiating pain, and hypoesthesia. The patients were diagnosed using C-spine computed tomography and did not receive any treatment at any other hospital. The patients were treated with acupuncture treatments, including electroacupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and acupotomy, at Daegu Korean Medicine Hospital at Daegu Haany University. The results were assessed using the visual analog scale, neck disability index, and Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, and the results indicated an improvement in the symptoms. Thus, this study demonstrated that complex acupuncture treatment may be helpful for treating cervical OPLL and improving the quality of life.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2023

This study presents the cases of a 67-year-old female with an isolated left sacral fracture and a 69-year-old female with fractures in sacrum 1, 2, and the left pubic bone. Both patients exhibited marked improvement following integrative Korean medicine treatment, encompassing acupuncture, acupotomy, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and cupping therapy. The treatment's efficacy was assessed using the numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, range of motion (ROM) in the lumbar spine, and alterations in gait and walking distance. Case 1 demonstrated an enhanced ROM and achieved independent walking after 29 days of treatment. Case 2 improved in both ROM and NRS score and could walk independently after 49 days of treatment. Significantly, radiological images showed notable changes in both cases following treatments. The study indicates that integrative Korean medicine treatment could provide clinical advantages to individuals suffering from sacral fractures.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.131-138
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• 2017

Objectives : This study examined the effects of miniscalpel acupuncture (MA) in three patients with cervicogenic headache. Methods : Patients were treated with MA, which was performed once per week for three weeks. A headache score, visual analogue scale (VAS), and neck disability index (NDI) were used for the evaluation of treatment effects. Results : In cases 1, 2, and 3, the headache score decreased from 4 to 1, 3 to 0, and 3 to 1, respectively. The VAS score decreased from 8.5 to 1.9, 5 to 0.4, and 5.3 to 2 in cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The NDI score decreased from 28 to 4, 50 to 4, and 38 to 16 in cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Conclusion : MA appears to be effective for the treatment of cervicogenic headache. Further data should be collected and a comparative study using other treatment methods should be performed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.91-100
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• 2017

Objectives : We conducted a literature search to identify trends with respect to miniscalpel acupuncture points (MAPs) of the cervical region with the aim of providing guidance regarding miniscalpel acupuncture (MA) in the cervical region. Methods : We searched 2 overseas sites (PubMed and Google Scholar) and 5 domestic sites (NDSL, RISS, KISS, OASIS and Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal) for clinical trials of MA of the cervical region. The search terms used were "acupotomy or miniscalpel acupuncture or miniscalpel" and "cervical." Of 73 studies found, 11 were included in this review, 6 of which presented exact MAPs. Owing to the lack of data, we refer to 1 Korean and 4 Chinese articles to analyze the exact location and meaning of the MAPs used in the published studies and to propose other clinically applicable MAPs. Results : We identified 10 of the most commonly used MAPs in the published studies, including those located below the external occipital protuberance, 2-2.5 cm both side down of the external occipital protuberance, 4.5-5 cm both side down of the external occipital protuberance and C3-7 spinous process. Furthermore, we proposed 13 additional MAPs that can be used clinically. Conclusion : We hope that this study will form a basis for the development of MA and hope to improve the safety and reproducibility in future MA studies of the cervical region.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2018

Objectives: The objective of this study was to review the trends of Korean medicine-based treatment for thoracic outlet syndrome(TOS). Methods: Korean and foreign on-line databases(Pubmed, Cochran Library, CNKI, NDSL KISS and OASIS) were researched for articles discussing Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. Repeated articles, review articles, commentaries, and those not relevant to the topic of study were excluded. Results: The total number of studies selected was 26, which included 18 case reports and 8 randomized controlled trials(RCT). In these studies, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, and warm acupuncture were used as interventions for TOS.Chuna therapy was found to be the most commonly used combination treatment. Despite the high prevalence of TOS, only 3 case reports of the 26 studies selected in this review were published in Korean academic journals. Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the trends of traditional Korean medicine-based treatment for TOS. The results showed that Korean medicine-based treatment could be an effective method for treating TOS.