• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.129-137
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• 2012

Objectives : Polyarteritis nodosa is a progressive disease of connective tissue that is characterized by nodules along arteries; nodules may block the artery and result in inadequate circulation to the particular area. This report is intended to estimate the efficacy using oriental complex treatment on a patient with Polyarteritis nodosa. Materials and Methods : From 19th March, 2012 to 12th May, 2012, One male inpatient diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa was treated with general oriental medicine therapy : needle-embedding therapy ; acupuncture ; pharmacopuncture ; acupotomy therapy and herbal medication. VAS(visual analogue scale) was used for evaluation of both leg pain. Other subjective symptoms including night sweat, tinnitus, upper heat were evaluated by percentage comparing the symtoms before and after treatment. Results : The patient showed a certain degree of improvement in both leg pain and other subjective symtoms. Conclusions : Oriental treatments such as needle-Embedding therapy, acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, pharmacopuncture therapy, acupotomy therapy and herbal medication can be effective for controlling pain and other accompanied symtoms due to polyarteritis nodosa.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the combined effect of acupotomy, selective cryolysis and herbal medicine therapy for treating regional fat accumulation of thigh. Twenty-four patients were selected for the study. A session of selective cryolysis and acupotomy treatments were performed on both thighs once a week, for four weeks, with administration of herbal medicine. Thigh circumference, weight, body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle mass, and body fat rate were measured before and after the procedure. Statistical significance (P<0.05) was determined using the paired t-test. After treatments, thigh circumference was significantly reduced by $3.57{\pm}1.41cm$ in 4 weeks (P<0.001). Weight, BMI, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat rate too were significantly reduced (P<0.001). Of the 24 patients, 1 reported an adverse event of frostbite. We assume this combined therapy can be useful when dealing with localized fat accumulation. Long-term evaluation and further studies are required to identify the specific effect size.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.175-181
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• 2021

A 57-year-old female diagnosed with L5-S1 lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, suffering from severe pain despite taking tapentadol received combined Korean medicine treatment, including acupotomy, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal therapies for 53 days. To assess pain, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and lumbar range of motion (ROM) were checked daily from the day of admission. Moreover, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were used to evaluate function and quality of life. After combined Korean medicine treatment, reabsorptioin of intervertebral disc was confirmed by radiological examination; pain reduced from NRS 5~7 to NRS 1~2; lumbar ROM in extention increased from 20° to 30°; and function and quality of life improved. The results suggest the possibility that a combined Korean medical treatment, including acupotomy, can be used as an alternative to opioids for pain management of lumbar vertebral disc herniation.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.62-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to assess the impact of acupotomy on migraine through an examination of clinical studies conducted since 2015. Methods : We conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (nRCTs) related to acupotomy treatment for migraine, utilizing five Korean online databases (OASIS, Science ON, DBPIA, KISS, RISS), as well as four foreign online databases (CNKI, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library). We identified a total of 10 relevant studies for analysis. Participants characteristics, treatment points, combination treatments, treatment cycles or frequencies, evaluation indices, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. The risk of bias in the 10 RCTs was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0). Results : A total of 931 participants were included in 10 studies. In the intervention group, the average duration of migraine morbidity ranged from 15.5±4.5 months to 15.9±4.2 years. Six studies based their diagnoses on the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD), while five studies relied on Chinese diagnostic criteria. All studies specified the treatment area as the region exhibiting tenderness or induration on the head and neck. Treatment cycles ranged from a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 1 week, with the number of days per treatment course varied from 5 days to 4 weeks. The diameter of acupuncture needles used varied between 0.3 mm and 1 mm. Of the eight studies specifying needle length, the shortest was 20 mm, and the longest was 40 mm. A total of eight evaluation indices were employed, with total efficacy rate (TER) and visual analogue scale (VAS) being the most frequently used. Statistically, all intervention groups showed more significant results compared to the control groups. Adverse events were reported in only two studies within the intervention group. Overall, the risk of bias assessment for the selected RCTs ranged from 'some concerns' to 'high risk of bias.' Conclusions : This study showed that acupotomy treatments for migraine were effective.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2020

Objectives: Round Acupuncture having blunt end has developed from acupotomy. This case report is to find out that Round Acupuncture is effective in treating patients with recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which has not improved by steroid injection or acupotomy. Methods: Round Acupuncture was inserted into the distal fibers of transverse carpal ligament and released toward the proximal fibers. Treatment was performed three times in total. T ingling, numbn ess, night pain and swelling sensation were assessed, and provocative maneuvers were also used. Results: After treat ment, all symptoms completely disappeared and the patient had no recurrence until 3 months after treatment. Conclusion: Round Acupuncture co uld be an effective treatment for recurrent CTS.

• 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.